• 


S'- '3 










»,!^ YOFCON GRESS 



oooa4 S ?t,sti 










Pass -&T- 12.S $ 




X + Y = Z. 



From a photography taken when in his peculiar sleepy 
by C. C. Giers, Nashville, Tenn., April 27, 1876, 



X + Y = Z ; 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER 



NORTH ALABAMA. 

CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF MOST WONDERFUL 

MYSTERIOUS MENTAL PHENOMENA, FULLY 

AUTHENTICATED BY LIVING WITNESSES. 



BY 

REV. G. W. MITCHELL* 



PRINTED FOB TSE AUTHOR. 



NEW YORK: 
W. C. SMITH, 

65 JOHN STREET. 



■&? 



\i 



<?3 



&** 



COPTEIGHT. 

REV. Q. W. MITCHELL. 

1876. 



TO THE KEADEK. 



At the request of my friend Rev. C. B. 
Sanders, or rather of X + Y = Z,* I have written 
this book. It makes no pretensions to literary 
or scientific merit. It is mainly a statement 
of facts, furnished by a large number of liv- 
ing witnesses — gentlemen and ladies of intelli- 
gence and unimpeachable veracity, presenting 
the most remarkable, preternatural, mental 
phenomena that have come to light, (so far as 
is known,) since the days of Jesus Christ and 
his Apostles. Of the truth of these statements 
you may feel assured beyond the shadow of a 
doubt. They will furnish you substantiated facts 
for your astonishment, information and study. 

In this day of general research, there is 

perhaps no subject of more profound thought, 

and earnest and critical investigation than the 

study of man — as it regards his body — his 

* Read ;X plus Y equals Z. 



IV TO TIIE READER. 

spirit — all that pertains to his mortality — his 
immortality, and his wonderful capacities. 
Therefore whatever facts may be developed, 
beyond the common sphere of human experi- 
ence, should be made public, that they may be 
utilized in these investigations. 

To save you from misapprehension, you are 
certified that this volume does not advocate or 
support the pretensions of " modern spiritual- 
ism ; " of which you will be fully satisfied upon 
its perusal. 

I am under many and lasting obligations, — 
and I take pleasure in now expressing the fact, 
— to those kind friends and dear brethren who 
have so generously and cheerfully encouraged 
me in my labors by their sympathy, prayers 
and contributions of facts, and testimonials of 
character, for publication in this book. 

With a profound sense of my responsibil- 
ity to God, and you, gentle reader, I submit 
these pages for your patient perusal. 

G. W. Mitchell. 

Athens, AK, Sept. lltli, 1876. 



INTRODUCTORY TO SECOND EDITION. 



With the advice of a number of esteemed 
friends, and the consent of the writer, the fol- 
lowing is introduced as a preface to the second 
edition of this book. 

It is due Dr. Ross to state, that he had no 
expectation, when he wrote this article, that it 
would be brought before the public. But believ- 
ing the reader will be profited by its perusal and 
study, whether he adopts the theory embodied 
or not, it affords us pleasure to be permitted 
to give it this prominent place in this edition. 

On Sabbath, the 15th of April, 1ST7, Dr. 
Ross preached a sermon in the city of Hunts- 
ville, to a large audience, in which, as was pre- 
viously announced in the city papers, he pro- 
posed " To show that the phenomena contained 
in the book ' X 4- Y=Z,' are in harmonv with the 



VI INTRODUCTORY 

teachings of the Bible." That sermon was an 
elaboration of the thoughts presented in this ar- 
ticle, and from the two texts mentioned therein. 

Author. 
May 19, 1877. 

Huntsville, Ala., April 1st, 1877. 
Rev. G. W. Mttchell : 

Dear Sir : — Our young brother, Rev. Mr. 
Tinnon, has given me your request for a word 
touching the book u X 4- Y=Z, or The Sleeping 
Preacher ; " In reply, I have believed for many 
years before I heard of Rev. C. B. Sanders, that 
the spirit of man has the nature to be in the 
body and out of it, at the same time. Your 
book, therefore, only gives facts, near at hand, 
to confirm my theory, founded on the word 
of God. 

In my letter to you, August 17th, 1876, I 
write, "Toa certain extent along this road of 
the seemingly supernatural there may be expla- 
nation^ but, beyond that extent there are influ- 
ences which bring the whole subject under the 



TO SECOND EDITION. VII 

forbiddings of the Bible. I think however, Mr. 
Sanders' case is free from any imposture. From 
all I have heard of him I esteem him a Chris- 
tian gentleman.'' I am all the more established 
in this opinion since reading your book. The 
explanation to which I alluded is this — 

Man, speaking of his spirit, was made in the 
image of God (Gen. ii. 7). 

This image, studied under the guidance of 
the Bible, gives all the knowledge we have, or 
can have, of God and man. To this bros 
proposition it may be objected that the Bibk 
affirms, " The heavens declare the glory of God, 
and the firmament sheweth his handy work ; 
day unto day uttereth speech and night unto 
night sheweth knowledge of him " etc. (Ps. xix.) 
True. But the heavens, the firmament, day 
and night — nay, every thing else in the universe, 
have to be thought over and judged by the spirit 
of man, before their testimony for the glory 
God can be understood. My proposition is, 
therefore, not too broad. T will proceed then — 

The Bible reveals that God is a spirit ; and 



Vlll INTRODUCTORY 

that I am a spirit. I am conscious of that fact. 
The Bible reveals, God is one God. I am con- 
scious of my unity of being. The Bible affirms 
God is personal in his existence. I am con- 
scious of being a person. The Bible teaches 
God is wise in infinite sense. I am conscious 
of power to be w T ise in finite sense. So in re- 
sponse to the fact of divine power. In like 
manner the Bible reveals, God is everywhere 
present in infinite space. I am conscious that, 
being the finite image of my Maker, I have a 
nature to be, with his will, everywhere present 
in finite space. Everyone knows he can by 
instant thought he in the farthest star ; and 
believes, if it were the divine pleasure, he could 
be consciously present, and see, hear, and know 
what is there. This truth covers the whole 
ground. I have only to give illustrations. 

(1) The spirit of the man Christ Jesus was 

^one person with the Eternal Son of God : Or 

expressed otherwise, the second Person of the 

Trinity took unto himself a human spirit and 

body — yet, in such sense, that there was no 



TO SECOND EDITION. IX 

amalgamation of the divine with the human 
spirit ; Christ being thus perfect God and per- 
fect man. 

This is the doctrine of all Trinitarian 
churches. 

Then, it follows, that the spirit of the man 
Jesus, in its union with the divine, is present 
every where, and at the same time in heaven 
aud earth. Then, prayer is made to the God- 
man everywhere, and at the same time, in 
heaven and earth. 

This is conclusive. I know, indeed, it will 
be said that this union of the divine and human 
spirit was and is miraculous. 

I reply — there was and is no miracle, as to 
the point before us — for, the spirit of man 
being the image of his Maker has ever had the 
nature to be thus united, if Deity pleased so to 
be in oneness with it. The miracle then, was 
simply in the fact that God did constitute 
such a oneness, that he did what man could 
not do. Just as the body of every woman has 
ever had the nature to bear a son under the 



X INTRODUCTORY 

power of the Holy Ghost — while it was the 
pleasure of God, that that miraculous fact 
should be only in the case of the virgin Mary. 
Then, without any miracle at all, the spirit of 
man from its nature might be to any extent 
out of the body while in it, if God sees fit to 
permit it. 

(2) The spirit of Paul was in the body and 
out of it at the same time. He writes of him- 
self — " I know a man (whether in the body, or 
out of the body, I cannot tell, God knoweth,) 
how that he was caught up into paradise, and 
heard unspeakable words, which it is not law- 
ful for a man to utter.'' (2 Cor. xii). 

This was neither dream, nor waking vision. 
Paul was caught up — he was personally pres- 
ent in paradise while also (God knoweth) in 
Jerusalem. 

(3) The spirit of Kev. Mr. Sanders, in its 
abnormal state, sustains what I am affirming. 
Of the truthfulness of the facts in your book I 
have no doubt. Thus, and in accordance with 
nry theory, he did see a man drop a silver coin 



TO SECOND EDITION. XI 

from the car, at a certain place, and go, in his 
abnormal sleep, with a friend, who picked it up. 
Then, he did see Rev. Mr. Dewitt getting over 
the tottering fence, endangering the bowl of 
custard and the bag of beans — amile away and 
a hill between. Then he did tell of Dr. Shef- 
fey's death before it was known to others. 
Then he did give the interior condition of a 
diseased person. Then, he did write in his 
sleep, the text, heads of discourse, and argu- 
ment of my sermon, while I was delivering it, 
twelve miles away. 

Then, the fact that Mr. Sanders wrote 
Latin, Greek, and understood French, in this 
abnormal condition, while ignorant of them 
when awake, is perfectly in harmony with the 
belief I am advocating. For the spirit, out of 
the body, from the fact of its being the likeness 
of the divine — has, of course, (I do not say the 
immediate knowledge of all languages, but I do 
say,) the power to acquire all languages with 
rapidity inconceivable, and can use the organs 
of the body to speak or write them. 



XI] INTRODUCTORY 

Hence Paul, at once, understood the lan- 
guage he heard in Paradise, and could have 
spoken the words he heard, had it not been un- 
lawful for him to utter them. 

The spirits, good or evil, speak in the lan- 
guage of men, at their pleasure — as we read 
everywhere in the Bible. The angei spoke 
Latin or Greek to the Koman Centurion. The 
demons cast out by Christ spoke the current 
language — using the organs of the possessed, or 
not, as they preferred. The spirit of the man 
Christ Jesus, even when in the body on earth, 
was enabled (in the fullness of the help he had 
from the Holy Ghost,) to acquire knowledge 
so rapidly, that at twelve years he astonished 
the Doctors of the temple. This was not mir- 
aculous ; for we are told when he went down 
vith his parents to Nazareth, he increased in 
wisdom and stature, and in favor with God 
and man. 

It is simply the body which restrains the 
spirit to its locality on earth, and the exercise 
of the powers we know it has. And it is the 



TO SECOND EDITION. Xlll 

body which prevents us from knowing a thou- 
sand powers the spirit has, beyond our present 
conception. For, it is simply absurd to believe 
that this image of God will, forever, have no 
other inlets of ideas, and powers of action, than 
our five senses or their equivalents, and our 
feeble energies. 

In conclusion ; the great cpestion of the 
day, between the friends and enemies of reve- 
lation, is whether spirit — divine, or human, — 
exists at all. The facts before us are, then, of 
value in the argument. If it be objected, that 
they bring no remarkable knowledge, but are 
of trivial importance, I reply, they are for 
that reason, the more valuable ; since God, in 
the Bible, has given all the great knowledge 
we need for time and eternity; and among 
those glorious truths, that man is a spirit — his 
image. Of course the more level that fact is to 
the common sense of every one, the wider and 
deeper the proof for the word of God. 
Yours in the Lord, 

Frederick A- Eoss. 



DIRECTORY OF WITNESSES AND 
CONTRIBUTORS. 

Donnell, Mrs. C. W., Athens, Alabama. 

Mitchell, Rev. G. W., 

Blair, J. S., M.D., Brownsboro, " 

Blair, A. F., M.D., 

Gilliam, R. L., 

Lamberson, L. F., 

Lawler, John, 

Sanford, S. W., 

Searcy, Mrs. Dr. R. T., Decatur, 

McCaa, Miss Sophia, Hazelgreen, 

McCaa, Miss Jane, " 

McCaa, Miss Sarah, " 

Higginbothani, Rev. J. B., " 

Hardie, Miss Florence, Huntsville 

Ross, Rev. F. A., D.D., 

Shelby, D., M.D., 

Shoenberger, Mrs. Fannie, " 

Tinnon, Rev. R. M., 

Vaughan, Mrs. A. 0., " 

Johnston, Mrs. Seraph, Madison, 

Carter, J. W., Leighton, 

Carter, Mrs. J. W., " 

Carter, Miss Ala., ** 

Hampton, Hon. M. B., " 

Hampton, Mrs. M. B., " 

King, Mrs. S. E., 



XVI DIRECTORY OF WITNESSES 

Wooton, Mrs. H. A., Leighton, Ala. 

Bone, Rev. M. H., Maysville, " 

Daniel, J. E., " " 

Daniel, Miss M. L., " " 

Lawler, B. F., " " 

Lawler, Mrs. M. A., " " 

Tipton, B. S., 

Bentley, Esq. A. J., Meridianville, Ala. 

Bentley, Mrs. J. B., " 

Bentley, Mrs. J. E., " 

Bentley, Miss M. A., " 

Blankenship, Mrs. G., " 

Brown, J. V., " 

Brown, Mrs. M. A., " 

Burke, Mrs. Dr., " 

Friend, Mrs. Susan (Col'd), " 

Pruit, J. W., 

Strother, Mrs. D. T., 

Patterson, Mrs. Sopha, Mooresville, Ala. 

Peebles, F. H., 

Thach, W. T., M.D., 

White, W. S., 

Woodroof, Maj. J. W., " " 

Woodroof, Mrs. J. W., " " 

Harlow, Mrs. M. A., Elkton, Tennessee. 

McDonnold, Rev. B. W., D.D., LL.D., Lebanon, Tenn. 

De Witt, Rev. M. B., Nasliville, Tenn. 

Power, Rev. N. T., Salem, 

Cowan, J. B., M,D., Tullahoma, " 

Cowan, Jas. M., " " 

Crosno, M. H., " " 

Crosno, Mrs. L. J., " " 

Buchanan, J. W., Winchester, *' 



AJSTD CONTRIBUTORS. 

Campbell, Rev. Jas., Winchester, Tenn. 
Declierd, Miss C. H., " " 

Marks, Mrs. Judge, " " 

Metcalf, Lewis, M.D., " " 

Murrell, Miss S. E., 

Smith, Rev. H. R., Montgomery's, West Virginia. 
Smith, Mrs. H. R., « " 

Smith, Miss L. P., " " 

Smith, Miss E. B., " " 

Smith A. M., « « 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

Sketch of the Early Life of Rev. C. B. Sanders.— His 
Conversion. — Becomes a Preacher. — First Devel- 
opment of Preternatural Powers. — Mrs. Harlow's 
Statement. — Mental Phenomena Progressive and 
Involuntary. — Physical Suffering 19 

CHAPTER II. 

Rev. C. B. Sanders' Marriage. — Family. — Character. 
— Afflictions.— Testimony of the Misses McCaa. 
— Of Rev. Mr. Higginbotham. — Treatment by 
Physicians. — Repugnance. — Submission — News- 
paper Notice. — Peculiar Signature. — Dr. Thach's 
Statement 85 

CHAPTER III. 

Recollections of Rev. M. B. De Witt. — Letter Re- 
ported. — De Witt Crossing the Fence. — Pruit's 
Testimony. — Reflections. — Cases by the Author. 
— Gold Coin found. — Death of Lieutenant Mc- 
Clure. — Dr. Blair's Testimony. — Cases by Mr. 



PAGE 

Brown and Wife. — Burning in Salisbury. — Tes- 
timony. — Farm Described 56 

CHAPTER IV. 

Reminiscences, by Rev. M. H. Bone. — Mrs. Donnell's 
Statement. — Finds a Watch Chain. — Cases by 
Mrs. Vaughan and Patterson.— Death of Miss 
Strong. — His Sick Family. — A Negro turning 
Somersaults. — Dinner Chit-chat. — Statement by 
a Colored Woman. — Tricks of a Rat. — Statement 
by Mrs. Burke and Shoenberger. — Miss Banks 
Struck by Lightning. — Cases by Mrs. Searcy. — 
Death of Dr. Sheffy. — Writing Poetry. — Miss 
Hardie's Statement. — Death of a Minister. — 
Major Woodroof's Testimony of Character. — 
The Doctor's Patient 91 

CHAPTER V. 

Letter of Rev. N. T. Power. — What he Witnessed. 
— Cases by Captain Hampton and wife. — Surgical 
Operation. — The Lunatic. — Attempted Trade. — 
Statement by the Carter Family. — Writing a 
Letter. — Finding a Pencil. — Statement by Mrs. 
Wooton. — Her Letter Copied. — Cases by Mr. 
Buchanan. — Secret Troubles. — Partnership. — 
Conversation. — Covenant. — Diagnosis. — Mrs. 
Judge Marks' Statement. — Reading French. — 
Rev. M. H. Bone's Statement. — A Sermon Re- 
ported. — Copies Mitchell's Letter. — Rev. R. M. 
Tinnon's Statement. — Extract from a Speech 
Reported 115 



CONTENTS. XXI 

CHAPTER VI. 

PAGB 

Pruit's Testimony of Character.— Esquire Bentley's 
Lost Keys.— Dr. Shelby's Statement. — Tells the 
Time.— Statement by Thach and White.— Find- 
ing Money. — Statement by Dr. McDonnold. — 
Diagnosis. — Statement by Dr. Metcalf. — A Riot- 
ous Man. — Statement by Rev. J. Campbell. — 
Finding a Nickel. — A Man's History. — Thach 
and White's Statement. — Shooting in the Dark. 
— Statement by F. H. Peebles. — Finding Money. 
— Certificate of Mr. Crosno and Others. — Coin 
Dropped from the Train. — Dr. Cowan's Certifi- 
cate 143 

CHAPTER VII. 

Officers of Ewing Chapel. — Testimony of Character. 
Conversation Reported. — Gold Coin Found in 
Maysville. — Mrs. Smith Scalded. — A Sermon 
Reported. — Dr. Ross' Statement. — Reflections 
by Rev. H. R. Smith.— X + Y = Z gives Notice 
of his Departure. — His Valedictory. — Various 
Opinions of the Cause and Nature of his Phe- 
nomena. — Opinion of X -+- Y = Z. — His Illustra- 
tions. — Sanders' Experience since X + Y = Z 
Left.— The Close 168 



ItfTKODUCTIOtf. 



The adage, "Truth is stranger than fic- 
tion," is strikingly exemplified by the facts re- 
corded in this volume. These facts, which are 
both mysterious and marvelous, are the result 
of human capacities, physical and mental, ab- 
normally, if not preternaturally or supernatu- 
rally exercised. Facts, not given on the uncer- 
tain authority of mere rumor or gathered from 
the columns of newspapers; nor on the ipes- 
dixit of the writer of this book; but, facts 
related by living witnesses, who speak the 
things they know, and testify that which they 
have heard and seen. 

!N*or are they published on the testimony of 
one or two, or at most a very few witnesses, 
but on the testimony of a large number ; which 
also could have been increased by hundreds; 



14: INTRODUCTION. 

and not by these, grouped together in one im- 
mediate neighborhood; but scattered in vari- 
ous neighborhoods, communities, and sections 
of country. Not by witnesses unlearned, igno- 
rant and vicious ; but by men and women of 
intelligence and some of ripe scholarship ; wit- 
nesses of unblemished moral character and 
many of them of the highest standing for reli- 
gious integrity. 

These witnesses were not suborned nor 
bribed ; but gave their testimony openly and 
cheerfully, without compensation, or promise 
of reward. A majority of them could have 
furnished other similar facts to those given. 
The address of these witnesses is given, if any 
should wish to seek further information from 
them. 

As far as human testimony can establish 
the truth in any case, so far the facts in this 
volume are unquestionably established. Such 
testimony, by witnesses, so numerous, so scat- 
tered, without consultation, and in ignorance of 
what each other would testify in nearly every 



INTRODUCTION. 15 

case, reporting facts occurring through such an 
extended period of time, and all corroborating 
the same mysterious capacities of the hero of 
this volume, would, it seems, impress an unpre- 
judiced reader that it would be a greater stretch 
of credulity to believe the witnesses were all 
insincere, incompetent, or deceived, than to 
believe the truth of their statements, however 
strange or mysterious they be. 

Again ; attention is called to the fact that 
these phenomena took place under almost 
every variety of circumstances, for the space of 
about twenty-two years ; at home and abroad ; 
by day and by night, and at all hours of each ; 
being involuntary with the subject of them, as 
well as while he was in an unconscious state ; 
without any previous arrangements of screens 
properly adjusted, closets fitted up, rooms 
darkened, select witnesses called in, and at 
special times appointed ; but wherever he hap- 
pened to be, sometimes when few were pre- 
sent, at others, when many were wondering 
spectators. 



16 INTRODUCTION. 

We call attention also to the fact that Mr. 
Sanders at no time has lived many miles dis- 
tant from the home of his nativity. And 
though these mysterious spells have been most 
closely scrutinized ; and his remarkable devel- 
opments have been carefully investigated as 
to their reality, by those who were wholly in- 
credulous, and also by those who were greatly 
prejudiced against him on this account, and 
eagerly sought an occasion to expose what 
they considered humbuggery ; yet for the 
space of about twenty-two years, during which 
these phenomena have occurred almost daily, 
in no instance has he been detected in dissimu- 
lation, fraud or charlatanism. 

Again ; such was his consistent Christian 
life ; his gifts for usefulness ; his consecration 
to the ministerial work, (as far as health and 
circumstances would permit,) and the good 
fruits of his labor that " the Presbytery of 
Tennessee," a large and able body, advanced 
him, from step to step, until he was invested 
with the high and responsible office of the gos- 



INTRODUCTION. 17 

pel ministry. And until this day his standing 
as a member of his Presbytery has been main- 
tained without blot or reproach; and he has 
shared all, and the highest honors in the gift 
of his Presbytery to bestow. 



X + Y = Z 



CHAPTER I. 

Sketch of the Early Life of Rev. C. B. Sanders.— His Con- 
version. — Becomes a Preacher. — First Development 
of Preternatural Powers. — Mrs. Harlow's Statement. 
— Mental Phenomena Progressive and Involuntary. 
— Physical Suffering. 

Rev. Constantine Blackmon Sandeks, the 
son of James and Rebecca Sanders, was born 
in Madison County, State of Alabama, about 
sixteen miles north of Hunts ville, on the 2d 
day of July, 1831. His mother, who is still 
living, says she is a native of Lunenburg 
County, State of Virginia. Her father's name 
was Coleman, who came to, and settled in, 
what is now Lawrence County, Ala., in 1817. 
Her husband was a native of the State of 



20 x + y = z ; 

Georgia, and was a soldier in the United States 
service in the war of 1812. He came to North 
Alabama, one or two years before she did. 
They were married on the 19th day of August, 
1819, just one or two months after the State of 
Alabama was organized. They had ten chil- 
dren, eight girls and two boys. Constantine 
was the younger boy and seventh child. His 
father died when he was in his sixth year. 
His mother is still a widow. 

Mrs. Sanders, being left with but little 
means, was able to afford but a very limited 
education to her numerous family of children. 
But as a faithful Christian mother, after the 
death of her pious husband, she endeavored to 
train up her children in the way of industry, 
honesty, truth and piety. Nor were her unre- 
mitting efforts without manifest good results. 
Her children, with one exception, in the days 
of their youth, became Christians. 

Constantine lived with his mother, and 
labored on the farm until he was a full grown 
man. From his mother, and others, who knew 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 21 

him during the days of his youth, we learn that 
he was dutiful to his mother, kind to his sis- 
ters, moral in his habits, and avoided associa- 
tion with the vicious. His temperament w r as 
cheerful ; and he had considerable fondness for 
music. From his early childhood his mind 
was much interested on the subject of preach- 
ing the gospel. And he was in the habit of 
preaching juvenile funeral sermons over dead 
chickens, pigs, etc., and baptizing the boys, 
both black and white ; and, on this account, 
was often familiarly called " The Preacher." 

On the 5th day of September, 1851, he 
went to a revival meeting at a country church, 
some twelve miles north of Huntsville, Ala., 
and during the religious services became so 
deeply interested that he presented himself at 
the altar for prayer and instructions ; and be- 
fore the exercises were closed at the night 
service, he made a public profession of the 
Christian religion ; and on the next day, at the 
same place, joined the Cumberland Presbyte- 
rian Church as a member of the Concord con- 



22 x + y = z ; 

gregation. He at once became an active work- 
er in the cause of religion ; and on the 8th of 
October, 1852, upon his application, was taken 
under the care of the Presbytery of Tennessee, 
of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, as a 
candidate for the gospel ministry, was licensed 
to preach October 5th, 1855, and ordained 
March 22d, 1862. At the time he joined 
Presbytery he could scarcely read and write. 
Until the spring of 1854, he still remained 
with his mother, laboring for her support, 
having attended school during this period 
about four months. In the spring of 1854 he 
entered a school at Elkton, Giles County, 
Tenn., taught by Captain F. 0. Barbour, and 
boarded, in connection with other young men, 
in the family of Mr. A. M. Harlow, deceased, 
then living about two miles from the village. 

In this school his application to study was 
close, his progress nattering, and his prospects 
for the future, in regard to qualifying himself 
for the ministry, were encouraging Up to 
this period, his health had always been good, 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. SSd 

and he had a well developed, vigorous, robust 
body, and constitution. 

But in the midst of these favorable circum- 
stances, his course was checked by an attack 
of sickness, when he had been in this school 
about three months. 

MRS. HARLOw's STATEMENT. 

The first developments of mental phenomena 
and peculiar physical stiff ering. 

" In March or April of the year 1854, Rev. 
C. B. Sanders commenced boarding in nry 
family, and attended the school, taught by 
Captain Barbour, at the village of Elkton in 
our vicinity. At this time he was a candidate 
for the ministry. He soon became familiar 
with, and attached to our family ; and we 
treated him as if he had been one of our sons. 

" Though at times he had spells of mental 
trouble, yet, in the main, he was quite cheerful. 
"When he had been with us about three months, 
he was taken quite sick of a flux. And when 
he had so far recovered as to be able to begin 



24 x + y = z; 

to walk, he was taken down with typhoid 
fever, and confined to bed again for several 
weeks. During this confinement, he was 
seized with occasional convulsions, affecting 
at times his whole system, but especially his 
arms, chest, throat and tongue. He also com- 
plained terribly of his head. Often would he 
exclaim : 

" ' It surely will kill me.' On one occasion 
he said : 

" l My head feels like it has opened.' 
" Taking my hand with his, he placed it on 
his head, when, to my astonishment, I found 
what appeared to be a separation of the bone, 
nearly wide enough to bury my little finger, 
ranging from above his eyes near the center of 
his forehead to the top of his head, and from 
the top down towards, and near to each ear. 
The opening increased in width as it reached 
the top of the head. This condition of his 
head I saw frequently. "When the paroxysms 
would subside, Uie openings would nearly close 
up. The attending physician told me that he 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 25 

gave him as much quinine as would hare been 
sufficient for nine men, with but little if any 
effect. 

" During the time he was with us, previous 
to his sickness, he at times acted, as we thought, 
somewhat strangely, but we did not then sus- 
pect that he was subject to the peculiar mental 
conditions that were afterwards so fully and 
frequently manifested. 

" He would frequently, in his room, engage 
in singing, praying, and exhorting, as if he 
were in a congregation. On one occasion, 
while in the hall, he remarked to me, ' There 
will be a burying here before to-morrpw even- 
ing ' (it being then in the afternoon,) * but it 
will not be any of your family.' 

" About one hour after this, a gentleman 
(Mr. McNeely) rode up, and requested the 
privilege of burying a corpse in our pri- 
vate cemetery on the next day, which was 
granted. 

" This death occurred some three miles dis- 
tant, and we had not even heard, and I am 



2t> x + y = z ; 

confident Mr. Sanders had not, of the sickness, 
nor death of the individual. 
, "Mrs. Mary A. Harlow." 

Near Elkton, Giles County, Tenn., June 30th, 1876. 

REMARKS BY THE AUTHOR. 

This statement of Mrs. Harlow is interest- 
ing and important in the history of Rev. C. B. 
Sanders, from three considerations. 

First. It gives us the beginning of his 
remarkable mental phenomena, the records of 
which make up the body of this book. 

Secondly. It also furnishes us with an ac- 
count of the beginning of those remarkable 
physical afflictions to which, in some respects, 
he has been subject ever since. 

Thirdly. It corroborates a statement often 

made by Mr. Sanders, when in his peculiar 

mental state, that his physical afflictions are 

,not the cause of his mental phenomena, but 

vice versa. 

Mrs. Harlow is a lady past the meridian of 
life; has long lived at her present residence, 



THE SL E EPI N G PE E A C 1 1 E B. 2 i 

and is regarded by her large circle of acquaint- 
ances, as a woman of high moral and religious 
worth. Mr. Sanders, from this time, for years, 
was subject to frequent attacks of cramping, 
and was unable, in consequence, to devote him- 
self to his studies. 

It is impossible to give the reader an ade- 
quate idea of how he was affected mentally 
and physically. In regard to the mental 
phenomena there was from their incipiency a 
manifest progress. Not only in regard to the 
topics of his conversations, but also in regard 
to seeing, hearing, and the distance of the 
range of objects, of sounds, etc. 

The things he saw were at first, never at 
any great distance ; but were about the premi- 
ses where he was, or at the farthest in the 
immediate vicinity, or surrounding neighbor- 
hood and country. But as years rolled on, his 
observations were extended, from time to time, 
to distances more remote, until they seemed to 
reach, not only to the most remote parts of the 
earth, but also even to the planets. So like- 



28 x + y = z ; 

wise, to some extent, it was the case with re- 
gard to his hearing. These facts were evinced 
not only by his oral declarations, but also by 
his written memoranda. 

Again, in the earlier part of his peculiar 
history, his conversations were mostly confined 
to religious subjects, such as exhortations, 
prayers, and expositions of texts. In the 
process of time he talked much of diseases and 
remedies; giving a diagnosis of particular cases, 
when the patient was not present. 

His writings, at first, were short articles, a 
few lines, or a few sentences ; sometimes poeti- 
cal effusions, generally on sacred subjects ; 
but at a more advanced period, his writings in- 
creased to extensive volumes on different sub- 
jects; — "Scripture Exposition," " The Life 
of Christ," " The Times of Christ," " Sermons," 
" Oriental Antiquities," " Journeyings of the 
Children of Israel," " Biographical Sketches of 
the Apostles," Diseases and Remedies," etc. 

At first his writing, as far as known, was 
altogether in the English language ; but after- 



' 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 29 

wards in various languages, though normally 
he knew nothing of any but the English. In 
the earlier stages of his developments, so far 
as known, he walked but short distances, but 
of late years there is good evidence that he 
walks considerable distances, in a remarkably 
short time. Many of these peculiarities will 
be illustrated in the details of facts published 
in this book. 

This peculiar state which is involuntary in 
its recurrence, is not usually heralded by any 
premonitions, visible to those who may be 
present. He may be taking part in social 
conversation, when all at once, if looking at him, 
you will see his eyelids fall, and his head 
droop ; at the same time making a slight but 
audible noise through his nose, which may be 
called a grunt, usually repeated in quick suc- 
cession two or three times, and he is asleep. 
The spell may continue for a few moments; a 
quarter, a half hour, or an hour, or a number of 
hours, a day, or a night ; or a day and night; 
or several days and nights ; or a week ; or 



30 x 4- y = z ; 

even several weeks, without an interval of con- 
sciousness. 

When in ordinary health, without bodily 
fatigue, or any strong or exhausting mental 
excitement, he cau be easily aroused to con- 
sciousness, when he first goes into this state, 
by giving him a shake, or by slapping him 
w T ith the hand. In coming to consciousness, he 
seems to be momentarily surprised ; and his 
body is slightly affected, as if lightly shocked 
by a galvanic battery. 

When under the more favorable conditions 
of body and mind, upon his going to sleep, 
by immediately waking him up, he has been 
enabled to keep awake for many hours in suc- 
cession, though there was a constant inclination 
to go to sleep. As a general rale, the longer 
the spells are protracted the more intense are 
his sufferings. So also when he is engaged in 
the more profound investigations, or is extend- 
ing his vision to the greater distances ; or his 
emotional powers are exercised intensely ; under 
these circumstances, his head is always greatly 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 31 

affected, as described by Dr. W. T. Thach, in 
another place. 

There are manifestly various degrees in 
these peculiar states. When not suffering 
much, he is more social, more disposed to 
answer questions ; his mental powers are more 
than ordinarily lucid. In this condition, he 
will sing and play on instruments of music. 
It is very interesting, pleasant and generally 
edifying to be with him in such a case. 

It is not at all uncommon for those present 
to spend hours, even until late at night, with 
him, as it were spell-bound by his captivating 
conversations. 

As a general thing, in cases of increased, 
but not extreme suffering, his mind is more 
occupied with religious subjects than ordinary, 
often giving expression to the most exalted 
views of the divine character, and the govern- 
ment of God ; of Jesus Christ, and the gospel 
plan of salvation ; manifesting the most un- 
shaken confidence in the authenticity, inspira- 
tion and divinity of the Holy Scriptures, and 



32 x + y ~ z ; 

all the grand and glorious doctrines thereof : 
the unity of God; the trinity of the Godhead; 
man's fall and depravity ; his freedom, and re- 
sponsibility to God ; the atonement of Christ ; 
its infinite merit, its universalit} T , impartial- 
ity, and freeness ; the necessity of repentance, 
of justification by faith, of regeneration and 
adoption by the Holy Ghost, to n't man for, 
and entitle him to heaven ; the importance of 
good works and a holy life in order to please 
God, to do good and be useful, and as the 
ground of the gracious reward of the saints in 
heaven. The doctrines of the immortality of 
the soul, the resurrection of the dead, the gen- 
eral judgment of angels and men, by Jesus 
Christ at the end of the world, the eternal 
glorification of saints, and the destruction of 
the wicked from the presence of God and 
the glory of his power forever. In a word, he 
never betrays any skepticism, nor the slightest 
taint of heresy. 

In these religious effusions he often is en- 
dowed with such an unction and pathos, that 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 33 

those present are moved and melted to tears; 
christians are comforted, encouraged, stimu- 
lated and strengthened ; sinners are awakened, 
instructed, and in many instances, have em- 
braced Christ, and afterwards manifested by 
their reformation and godly lives that they 
were savingly converted. Scores of persons, 
of whom he has a list, have claimed " The 
Sleeping Preacher," as the instrument of their 
conversion. In these exercises, sometimes con- 
tinued for one or more hours, his remarks 
are, at times, of a general character ; at others, 
personal and pointed. 

It is a notorious fact, one often spoken of 
by those who have been present, that he has 
never been known to speak unguardedly, to 
say anything imprudent, unchaste, offensive, 
or that has resulted in harm to any one what- 
ever. 

In these sleeps his eyes are generally closed, 
but there are instances in which they are as 
wide open as when awake. In this case, if he 
is free comparatively from suffering, one not 



34 x + y = z ; 

acquainted with bis peculiarities would not 
likely suspect that there was anything unusual 
in his condition. 

But in a case of extreme suffering in his 
head, his eyes are not only open, but he 
ceases to wink altogether, or very seldom. 

As to his physical sufferings, a great deal 
might be written, as to all their peculiarities ; 
but as much will be said by those whose state- 
ments we publish, we deem it necessary to 
mention only a few facts. From the time of 
his first spell of cramping, as stated by Mrs. 
Harlow, until the fall of 1859, he had a great 
many spells. He knew nothing of them, gen- 
erally at least, only as they were reported to 
him, as he w T as almost invariably "asleep" 
during the paroxysms ; he was conscious how- 
ever, in some instances during the spell or 
before it would close. During this period, we 
know but little of his history. He lived rather 
a retired life, in consequence of his frequent 
spells. 



CHAPTER II. 

Rev. C. B. Sanders' Marriage — Family — Character — 
Afflictions. — Testimony of the Misses McCaa. — Of 
Rev. Mr. Higginbotham. — Treatment by Physicians. 
— Repngnauce. — Submission. — Newspaper Notice. — 
Peculiar Signature. — Dr. Thach's Statement. 

On the 29th day of October, 1856, he was 
united in marriage with Miss Duanna A. 
White, of Madison County, a most fortunate 
marriage. In her he obtained a wife whose 
affection was pure and abiding. Adapted by 
nature, discipline, affection and grace to be the 
untiring, watchful, constant, quiet, uncomplain- 
ing and loving ministering angel to him, in all 
his afflictions by day and by night. In a recent 
conversation, she impressed me with the re- 
mark that, though she had spent many a sleep- 
less night in watching and ministering to her 
(as it often seemed) dying husband, yet she 
never felt anv inconvenience from it, in attend- 



36 x + y = z ; 

ing to her domestic duties during the day fol- 
lowing. They have a family of six healthy 
children, of more than ordinary promise. 

We will now introduce the statements of 
some persons whose testimony is given in 
reference to what they saw, heard and knew. 

The following is the statement of the sis- 
ters, Miss Sophia, Miss Jane and Miss Sarah 
McCaa, viz. : 

That they have known Kev. C. B. Sanders 
from his youth. Miss Jane was present when 
he professed religion. From the time he became 
subject to his peculiar afflictions, each of them 
was often present and witnessed his terrible suf- 
ferings, and his remarkable exercises during, 
what were commonly called, his "sleeps" — 
(i. e.) his singing, praying, preaching, etc. 

During a camp-meeting at Concord church, 
in September, 1859, while he was engaged in 
an earnest public exhortation in the altar 
among the penitents, he was suddenly seized 
with a convulsion, fell to the ground, and 



THE SLEEPING PEEACIIER. 37 

passed into his peculiar sleep, from which he 
did not recover consciousness, except it might 
have been with short intervals, for many days, 
if not weeks. As well as remembered, about 
one week after this attack, while his life was 
despaired of by all who saw him (for the whole 
neighborhood pretty much was with him daily), 
Miss Sallie left him for home at sunset ; think- 
ing he could live but a short time. About ten 
o'clock that night a messenger came, with the re- 
quest from Mr. Sanders, for Miss Sophia to visit 
him at once ; which she did, for he lived on an ad- 
joining place. On her arrival, she found him up 
and rejoicing. As she entered the room he said 
with great emphasis, "Aunt Sophia, 1 have got 
clear of the cramp. I will never have another." 
Pie spent nearly the whole night rejoicing. 
While suffering in these spells he would cramp 
severely, with his head drawn until his face 
would be almost reversed ; his hands drawn 
immovably, sometimes, against his chest or 
throat; feet and legs twisted almost in the 
opposite direction from their natural position ; 



3S x + y = z ; 

and he would gasp as if every breath would 
be the last. 

It is a remarkable fact that we have never 
seen or known, or heard of his having another 
spell of cramping since the one above men 
tioned. They also bear testimony to his good 
character as a gentleman and christian, and as 
a popular and useful minister of the gospel. 

" In testimony of the truth of all the above 
statements, we subscribe our names, this-»8th 
day of June, 1876, Madison County Ala. 

"Sophia McCaa. 
" Jane McCaa. 
" Sarah McCaa." 

These highly esteemed ladies live in the 
vicinity of Hazel Green, Madison Co., Ala. 

The following is from Rev. Mr. Higgin- 
botham, of the same immediate neighborhood 
as the above : 

" Madison Co., Ala., June 8th, 1876. 

" I certify that I have known Rev. C. B. 
Sanders from the year 1847, and was intimately 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 39 

associated with him until within the last few 
years. He was a youth of noble bearing, hav- 
ing as many natural good traits of character, 
such as truthfulness, good morals, good will to 
every body, industry, kindness to his widowed 
mother and his sisters, as any other of my ac- 
quaintance. I was laboring in the meeting 
when he professed religion. He made as bright 
a profession as I ever witnessed. 

" As far as I have information, the first 
attack of his peculiar affliction occurred while 
he was at school at Elkton, Tenn. After he 
was brought home, for years I was often pres- 
ent when he was so severely cramped for an 
hour or two at a time, that it seemed impossi- 
ble for him to live. His whole frame would 
cramp ; and it is impossible for me to give an 
adequate idea of his bodily contortions and 
sufferings. 

" In 1859, he was living near me. I wit- 
nessed the scene at the camp-meeting, stated 
by Miss Jane McCaa, and was with him also, 
when he was suddenly relieved of his last 



40 x + y = z ; 

cramp. As well as I remember, it was late in 
the evening. Mr. Sam Townsend (deceased) 
and I were sent for, as it was thought Mr. 
Sanders was dying. When we arrived lie was 
terribly cramped, and it seemed as if every 
gasp would be the last, when suddenly he rose 
up and exclaimed, ' It is gone} Reappeared 
to be entirely relieved, and was filled with joy 
inexpressible. As far as I could judge, his 
consciousness was now T restored. I soon re- 
turned home. 

" On the next morning he came to me in 
my field, and told me that it was shown to him 
that he would never have another spell of 
cramping. Since then, I have not known, or 
heard of his having another spell of it. I re- 
gard Rev. C. B. Sanders as a true Christian 
gentleman, as a minister of high standing, of 
much usefulness, and of more than ordinary 
ability. 

" J. B. Htgginbotham." 

That which is most remarkable in the fore- 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 41 

going statements is the fact that he declared 
emphatically that he would never have another 
cramp. From that time until the present he 
has had no return of this particular affliction. 
He said to Eev. Mr. Higginbotham that " It 
was made known to him that he would never 
have another spell of cramping." We do not 
undertake to explain how this was made known, 
nor to explain any of the remarkable phenom- 
ena in his history, but simply to give the 
statement of the facts, as attested by the wit- 
nesses. I add, he has often, in allusion to the 
fact above stated, remarked, " I saw it " (the 
cramp, or cause of it) " go away. It went up 
through the top of the house. It was the 
ugliest thing I ever saw." 

In this case it seems that consciousness 
was sufficiently restored, at the instant relief 
came, to enable him to remember the occurrence. 

Although Mr. Sanders obtained relief from 
cramps, yet he was visited instead with other 
and on many occasions, most distressing symp- 
toms, while in his unconscious states. 



42 x + y = z; 

His lungs were greatly affected with what 
physicians pronounced congestion. 

In reference to this, and other peculiar 
symptoms, we again refer to the statement of 
Dr. W. T. Thach. 

The question may naturally arise, could he 
not have been relieved of these physical afflic- 
tions ; and consequently thereby would there 
not have been a termination of those remarkable 
mental phenomena? What could have been 
done, we are not prepared too confidently to 
assert. It is true, however, that a number of 
physicians of experience, learning and skill, 
thought for a time they understood the diag- 
nosis of the ease ; that they could treat it with 
success. And not a few did prescribe, and 
administer their prescriptions, from time to 
time, but in no case did they succeed in pro- 
ducing more than very partial and temporary 
favorable results. So far as I have learned, 
they, with great unanimity of opinion, regard 
the case not only abnormal but beyond the 
reach of all known remedies. 



THE SLEEPING PBEAOHEK. 43 

It is true also that Mr. Sanders himself, 
from the information he obtained from those 
who witnessed his spells, was for years of the 
opinion that he could be cured, and most 
earnestly sought relief ; not only because of 
his sufferings ; the hindrance, those afflictions 
were to all his avocations in life, progress and 
success in all his undertakings and responsi- 
bilities ; but especially because of what he was 
informed, from time to time, of his peculiar 
developments. In fact, for a time, he was 
entirely incredulous about the truth of the 
reports thus made to him. But when the tes- 
timony came from so many, and such as he 
was compelled to believe to be sincere ; those 
whom he knew to be his best friends ; and 
when case after case had occurred, in which 
facts fully corroborated the truth of what he 
had declared in his mysterious way, his skep- 
ticism yielded to his convictions. But why 
should he be so repugnant to these pheno- 
mena ? Especially when so far as known, no 



4A x + y = z ; 

evil ever resulted to any of his fellow creatures 
from these developments ? 

"We may suppose there are some, whose 
temperament is such that they not only would 
feel unembarrassed, but would even esteem 
it a very great boon, or privilege, to be the 
subject of such mysterious phenomena ; but 
being a man of refined sensibilities, of marked 
conscientiousness, of ardent desire to be useful, 
especially in his labors as a gospel minister ; 
and knowing that many regarded all these 
manifestations as humbuggery ; that he was 
ridiculed and reproached for them ; and believ- 
ing that his usefulness was in a great measure 
neutralized ; and from the very circumstances 
of the case, being incapacitated to defend 
himself against what might be charged, or 
rumored, that he said or did in his uncon- 
scious state, Dr. Sanders was for many years 
the subject of great distress ; and at times, 
apparently almost heart-broken. Like as by 
fabled spectres he was haunted with these 
thoughts and imaginings at all times. If he 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 45 

met any one of whose true friendship he was 
not fully assured, it would occur to him ; per- 
haps, he is thinking, " Sanders is an arrant 
.humbug.' 1 If he attempted to address an 
audience on the subject of religion, the terri- 
ble thought with almost crushing power, un- 
bidden, " nor would it down at his bidding," 
would rush upon his mind, how many ! how 
many ! now before me, are mentally saying ; 
" Sanders is a reverend mountebank ; a vile 
pretender ; or a specious hypocrite." 

With this view of the case, which falls far 
short of the actualities, we may in some degree 
appreciate his embarrassments, and the reasons 
why it was so hard for him to submit to his lot. 
But the reader may wish to know if he ever 
became reconciled to his peculiar providential 
visitations. 

In reference to this matter, though we may 
not say that he has fully, or at all times become 
submissive to these dispensations, yet, after 
years of suffering in body and soul, and receiv- 
ing undoubted information of the fact that the 



46 x + y = z; 

" sleeping man " was uniformly prudent in 
word and act, kind and benevolent in spirit, 
characteristically religious, and amidst the most 
terrible scenes of suffering, was generally sub- 
missive to his lot, (usually saying "it is all 
right," " that it would all work out for good," 
etc.,) and receiving the testimony of scores who 
claimed to have been converted through the 
labors of the " sleeping man," and knowing 
that hundreds of the best men and women in 
all the country, who had the privilege of know- 
ing him best, had the highest respect for and 
most unshaken confidence in him, he was en- 
abled in a great measure, if not fully, to sink 
into the divine will, and say ; " It is the Lord, 
let him do what seemeth him good." 

One other item in this connection we men- 
tion. For several years he was inclined to 
regard his peculiar case of affliction as the 
result of Satanic agency. It was impressed 
upon him, when so earnestly desiring relief, 
that if he would recognize and acknowledge 
that these visitations were from the Lord, he 



THE SLEEPING TREACHER. 



47 



would be delivered from those terrible spells 
of cramping. And at the time he had his last 
spell, he was enabled, he affirms, to meet this 
condition ; and his relief was instantaneous. 

These statements, in reference to his expe- 
rience, we have received from Mr. Sanders in 
various conversations in years past. "YVe have 
heard other persons also speak of having heard 
him make similar statements. 

It has always been his desire to avoid the 
publicity of his sleeping developments. In 
almost every instance, when informed, upon 
awaking, of what he had said or done, he would 
insist that those present should not mention 
what had occurred. In consequence of this, it 
is a remarkable fact, notwithstanding so many 
mysterious phenomena had occurred during 
the period of more than twenty years, yet 
nothing concerning those things ever appeared 
in public print until Sept. 15th, 1875, when 
an article was published in the " Nashville 
American," Nashville, Tenn., which was ex- 
tensively copied by the periodical press in vari- 



48 x + y — z ; 

ous places, throughout the continent. Soon 
after this, (Nov. 26th) another article was pub- 
lished in the " Cincinnati Tribune," which 
was also copied by many others. 

Previous to these publications, though he 
had a considerable amount of manuscripts as 
heretofore mentioned, he had uniformly ex- 
pressed the opinion that none of them should 
be published until after his death. But since 
he has thus been published to the world with- 
out being consulted, and entirely contrary to 
his wishes; and as he says, in some respects 
also, misrepresented, the " sleeping man " has 
decided that it is right that he should be prop- 
erly reported to the public, that all who may 
be interested in the case may have a plain and 
true statement of facts, for their satisfaction, 
or investigation. And should he conclude to 
publish any or all of his works as referred to, 
this little book will serve as a forerunner, or 
an introduction thereto. In this view of the 
subject he solicited the writer to prepare this 
volume for the press. 



THE SLEEPING TREACHER. 49 

Another peculiarity in regard to all the 
written productions of Mr. Sanders, when in 
his sleeps, is the signature he has used in 
every instance, viz. "X+Y==Z." He has 
written and mailed many letters thus signed ; 
and has received through the mail many an- 
swers addressed to this peculiar person. 

It was for a considerable time a great puzzle 
to him to understand who was the writer so styl- 
ing himself. His writings during the first years 
of his spells, as before mentioned, consisted gen- 
erally of a few lines or sentences. Often after 
he had been asleep, he would find in his pos- 
session one or more of these slips ; and would 
wonder who was the writer, whence they came 
and what was the meaning of " X + Y— Z." 

In none of his writings, that have been ex- 
amined, nor as far as is known, has his own 
proper name ever appeared. But in writing 
and speaking of himself (as in his conscious, or 
normal condition,) he invariably uses the term, 
" My Casket." To understand the true import 
of this term also, he was perplexed for a con- 
3 



50 x + y = z; 

siderable time. We close this chapter with 
Dr. W. T. Thach's statement in reference to 
his physical sufferings, and how he is exercised 
in them. 

DR. THACH'S DESCRIPTION OF DR. SANDERS' 

SUFFERINGS, ETC. 

" Having from time to time been intimately 
associated with Rev. C. B. Sanders, and having 
had, probably, more opportunities of examining 
into his case than any one else ; and having 
been repeatedly urged to give something of a 
description thereof to the public; I now, by 
his consent, undertake to do so, leaving a 
diagnosis of the case to those who may feel 
interest enough in it to undertake it. 

"I have been acquainted with him about 
sixteen years. He has complained ever since 
my acquaintance with him, and he says, for a 
number of years previous, with a continuous 
headache, though differing in severity at differ- 
ent times, often becoming excruciating ; and 
until a year or two since, attended with violent 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 51 

lancinating pains in the chest, accompanied 
with great difficulty of respiration, which 
indeed I have often seen suspended for such a 
length of time as to induce me to believe it 
impossible that it could ever be restored ; at 
length returning with a gurgling sound in the 
upper portion of the trachea. In these extreme 
cases, the pulse is very feeble, and in frequency 
from 120 to such a celerity as to render it 
impossible to count it. Extremities cold, tem- 
ples throbbing violently, eyes surcharged with 
blood to such an extent that frequently the 
blood would trickle down the cheeks in drops. 
These paroxysms are attended with very great 
nervous excitement, so that he cannot bear to 
be touched by any one without producing a 
shock to the system, (very similar to that felt 
by one who comes in contact with a gal- 
vanic battery with considerable charge), which 
seems to increase the already excruciating 
pain. 

" With these paroxysms of suffering there 
is almost always a peculiar condition, to me 



52 x + y = z ; 

inexplicable, and which I know not what to 
denominate, which those acquainted with him 
generally call " sleep," merely . from the fact 
that, when recovered from this condition, he is 
totally ignorant of any and everything that has 
occurred while in this state (even the length 
of time that has elapsed, not knowing whether 
an hour or a week). Hence the name of the 
" Sleeping Preacher." And yet, at the time, 
he seems conscious of everything that is going 
on around him ; and not only so, but of what is 
transpiring at any point to which his attention 
is directed, regardless of distance. The length 
of these paroxysms is quite variable, extending 
from a moment to hours and days, during 
which time he gets no natural sleep ; the mind 
to all appearance being much more active than 
when in a normal condition ; being all the 
time engaged in conversation or writing (of 
which he does a great deal,) or some other 
active mental exercise. In this condition he 
frequently complains of hunger, and partakes 
of food, as at other times. Except in cases of 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 53 

protracted spells of nervous sleep, (when he 
gets none,) he usually averages about three 
hours in twenty-four of natural sleep ; yet the 
physical man does not seem to suffer from loss 
of sleep. He looks as hearty as any man, and 
weighs about 195 pounds. 

" This condition is not always attended with 
an unusual amount of pain, being often very 
cheerful ; at which times he is more than 
ordinarily communicative. 

" In all of his notes, letters and writing of 
every kind, while in this condition he ignores 
the name of " Sanders." His signature is 
X+Y=Z." 

" While in these sleeps, if left to himself, 
his thoughts are confined mostly to theology or 
medicine. And though never having studied 
medicine, he seems, while in this mental state, 
to be very conversant with it ; using the tech- 
nical names, giving the properties, uses, etc., 
thereof. He always examines the sick, who 
may happen to be about him, when in this 
state, without coming in contact with the 



54: x + y = z; 

patient ; making in writing a diagnosis and 
prescription ; which he will usually give, if re- 
quested. And I could mention a great many 
who have been relieved by his directions. I 
have frequently had him to give me the exact 
condition of patients whom he had never seen, 
and who were miles distant. His prescriptions 
frequently contain medicines which cannot be 
procured in this country ; which he makes 
arrangements to import ; showing his compre- 
hensive view of Materia Medica, in this pre- 
ternatural way. 

" There may be many questions which 
medical minds would like to ask, in order to 
aid a further investigation of this peculiar 
case ; if so, I will take pleasure in giving such 
information as I can, as I am anxious to see a 
diagnosis of it. I have intentionally avoided 
the use of technical terms, in order that any 
and all readers may understand. 

« W. T. Thach." 
Mooresville, Ala., June, 1876. 



TIJE SLEEPING PREACHER. 55 

I add that Dr. Thach is a Christian gen- 
tleman, past the meridian of life, has long 
been devoted to the practice of medicine, 
in which he has attained an enviable repu- 
tation. 



CHAPTER III. 

Recollections of Rev. M. B. De Witt. — Letter Reported. 
DeWitt Crossing the Fence. — Pruit's Testimony. — 
Reflections. — Cases by the Author. — Gold Coin found. 
— Death of Lieutenant McClure. — Dr. Blair's Testi- 
mony. — Cases by Mr. Brown and Wife. — Burning in 
Salisbury. — Testimony. — Farm Described. 

We now give Rev. M. B. DeWitt's recol- 
lections of the very singular and interesting 
history of Rev. C. B. Sanders, as "X + Y=Z." 

" I became acquainted with Rev. C. B. 
Sanders in the fall of 1859, or 1860. I had 
often heard of some very peculiar developments 
of mental phenomena in his case, and I was 
much interested to know him. I became inti- ' 
mately associated with him in the ministry, he 
being a licentiate, and afterwards an ordained 
minister in the Tennessee Presbytery of the 
Cumberland Presbyterian Church, of which 
presbytery I was for years a member. Owing 



'1HE SLEEPING PREACHER. 57 

to Brother Sanders' afflictions, in connection 
with his peculiarity of condition, he was 
greatly dependent upon his brethren when- 
ever absent from home at protracted meetings, 
or on presbyterial or synodical occasions. On 
this account I became very closely associated 
with him, and he came finally to rely upon me, 
for a long time, with more entire dependence 
for protection and assistance than upon any 
other member of our presbytery. 

" Living as I did, at Fayetteville, Tenn., 
and he in Madison County, Ala., we were not 
far apart ; and in the fall of 1861 I removed 
to Meridianville, Ala., and was then within a 
few miles of his house. We were often thrown 
together by social visits, preaching, and other 
occasions of public interest. Subsequently 
Brother Sanders moved to Mooresville and then 
to Maysville, both in a short distance of Hunts- 
ville, where on March 8th, 1866, I removed 
and remained as a pastor until August, 1872 ; 
removing thence to Nashville, Tenn. 

" These details are mentioned to show 



58 x + y = z ; 

the intimacy of my knowledge of Rev. C. 
B. Sanders. 

"I could record many remarkable things 
which happened under my immediate eye, in 
connection with the strange mental and physi- 
cal conditions of Brother Sanders. 

"I have been often asked by persons of 
different culture for an explanation of the 
curious phenomena of his case. After witness- 
ing many perfectly unaccountable phenomena 
developed, by him, I have felt no hesitation in 
giving what appeared to be the common sense 
view of the case upon unquestionable facts. I 
felt so, notwithstanding the opinion of three 
estimable physicians, who had much knowledge 
of the case. 1 unhesitatingly gave it as being 
that the mind or soul was enabled to see 
directly and immediately the objects toward 
which its attention was turned. 
$ " That is, the eye and the ear were not 
needed to convey impressions to the brain, and 
thence to the mind, by the ordinary process of 
sensation, but the intelligent part of the man 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 59 

perceived objects without the use of the organs 
of sense. 

" I witnessed many things perfectly satis- 
factory to my own mind, and heard others 
relate equally remarkable and convincing ones, 
which, to a person entirely unacquainted with 
the case, might not be entitled to perfect 
credence ; because, possibly, capable of expla- 
nation upon ordinary natural principles. I 
therefore kept an eye constantly looking toward 
some incident which, to me, would be incapa- 
ble of explanation by principles and supposi- 
tions of common experience, or reason. This 
I did that I might satisfy my own mind first 
and fully, and then be able to testify in the 
case, when called upon by those who desired 
trustworthy testimony concerning it. 

" Two incidents I will relate as expressing 
to my mind the full conditions required for 
confidence in the genuineness of the mental 
developments alluded to previously. One of 
these concerns other persons and myself ; the 
other is peculiarly personal to myself. 



1 



60 x 4- y = z ; 

" "While returning from a meeting of Colum- 
bia Synod at Winchester, Tenn., a few days 
after the 3d Sabbath of October, to my home in 
Huntsville, I made arrangements with Rev. 
G. W. Mitchell, of Athens, to assist me in a 
series of meetings in my church at H., in the 
next month. The agreement was that if there 
should be any change in the time of the meet- 
ing, I was to let Brother Mitchell know it by 
letter. No change was made; but one day, 
being on the square, I stepped into the bank- 
ing-house of Fordyce, Janney and Co., and 
asked my friend, Mr. William Rison, one of 
the firm, to allow me to write a short letter 
there. He politely invited me behind the 
counter, and gave me paper, pen and ink, en- 
velope and stamps to hand. On the paper and 
envelope was the imprint of the firm. And I 
wrote my letter, dated Nov. 9th, sealed and 
stamped it, and handed it to a friend, Dr. 
Jordan, whose dental rooms were just below 
the P. O., to mail it for me. 

"At the appointed time Brother W. H. 



THE SLEEPING- PREACHER. 61 

Wilson, with whom I was boarding, met 
Brother Mitchell at the depot, and found 
Brother Sanders with him, and brought them 
both to his home. Shortly after arriving 
at the house, and while Brother Mitchell 
was standing by the lire warming himself, he 
looked at me with peculiar interest in his face 
and asked, ' Why did you not write to me ? ' 
I answered instantly, 'I did write. Didn't 
you get my letter ? ' ' No, sir. Well, what 
did you say in your letter ? ' continued Brother 
M. I think he asked the date of my letter ? I 
gave it any way and began to tell him what I 
wrote ; and when I had repeated about half of 
the letter's contents, he interrupted me, and 
told me the remainder himself. Then he 
asked me if the things he had stated were in 
the letter ? I replied with much astonishment 
in the affirmative. And he instantly stated 
that Brother Sanders had told him the contents 
of the letter while they were at the Mooresville 
depot that evening. He said that he had not 
seen Brother Sanders until they met that even- 



62 x + y 



z ; 



ing, since he met him in Winchester, at the 
meeting of Synod. 

"In reading this account let the reader 
bear in mind that Sanders was not a party to 
any of the arrangements mentioned in connec- 
tion with the meeting proposed, and he came 
into connection with it, only by means of the 
remarkable fact of making known the contents 
of my letter. 

"M. B. DeWitt." 

In connection with the foregoing I append, 
that on Thursday evening preceding the time 
the meeting in Huntsville was to commence, 
not having gotten a letter from Brother DeWitt 
as I expected, I received one from Mrs. Steele, 
wife of Mr. Galenus Steele, (living near Moores- 
ville depot on the Memphis and Charleston 
R. R., about three miles from that village, and 
thirteen from Athens, my residence,) urging me 
to come without delay to see her husband, who 
was in a very low state of health. 

I made the visit on the next morning, and 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 



63 



remained at Mr. Steele's until near sunset, 
when I went to the depot about f of a mile 
distant. On my arrival, I found Brother San- 
ders there in conversation with Mr. James 
Arnett the R. R. Agent. Immediately after 
salutations, while I was inquiring of Mr. Arnett 
about when the train was due there, and at 
Huntsville, I heard Mr. Sanders, who was sit- 
ting behind me, making the peculiar noise 
which was usual upon his going to sleep ; and 
as I turned to see him, he, in a laughing way, 
remarked, " Mitchell, that letter DeWitt wrote 
you, has gone away— way down yonder." I 
said, " It has?" He replied, "Yes." I then 
asked, "What did he write?" Holding up 
his left hand with the palm open before him 
he, as from a paper, read : 

" Huntsville, Ala., Nov. 9th, 1867. 

"Dear Brother Mitchell, etc," going on 

with what purported to be said letter, a part ot 

which was, "Brother Wilson will meet you at 

the depot and take you to his house." Then 



64 x + y = z; 

closing with, «y 0m , fraterna%) M _ R Db _ 
Witt He then turned the back of his hand 
towards his eyes and said, "Envelope; For- 
d.yce, Janney & Co., Huntsville, Ala." 

In a few moments the train arrived, and we 

ook our seats for Huntsville. In a short time 
he awoke. I re l ated to him ^ .^.^ ^ 

the depot. He then told me that he had been 
m Mooresville for some time and had written 
to his wife that morning, that he would go up 
to Huntsville on the next Tuesday, and re 
quested her to have conveyance there for him 
to get home. (He was then livingat Meridian- 
vide.) During the day while at Major Wood 
roof's in Mooresville, about noon he was in one 
of h ls sleeps for awhile, and upon awaking he 
was told by persons present that he said 
Brother Mitchell is at Mr. Steele's, and is go 
mg on the train to-night to Huntsville to 
attend DeWitt's meeting; and I want to go 
with him." Upon hearing this he requested 
to be sent to the depot as he said that he was 
confident everything he had said was true. 
G. W. Mitchell. 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 65 

"I certify that all of what is. above stated 

as Laving occurred at our house is true. 

"Mrs. Harriet A. Woodroof." 
Mooresville, Ala., June 12th, 1876. 

dewitt's statements continued. 

He writes to DeWitt a Latin note, etc. 

" The second incident which T shall relate 
presents me the most unequivocally clear instance 
of knowledge without the intervention of ordin- 
ary means of information, which I ever witness- 
ed. In order of time it preceded the letter inci- 
dent, above related, occurring in February, I860. 

" Brother Sanders was residing in Meridian- 
ville ; and I had rented and removed to Mr. 
John Eobinson's house, one mile and a half 
west of the village. Brother Sanders had re- 
ceived a fall from his horse and had his hip 
dislocated, which confined him to his bed for 
weeks. During his confinement his mind was 
exceedingly active, and his sufferings great. 
Many neighbors and friends visited him and 
took him delicacies of various kinds. I visited 



66 x + y = z ; 

him often, and had many interesting inter- 
views with him. Many things occurred which 
deserve mention, such as his lying in his bed, 
placing a large book under two or three thick- 
nesses of covering and writing letters, notes, 
etc., just as accurately upon ordinary paper, 
and keeping to the lines, as if the paper lay 
upon the table and his eye open to direct the 
pen or pencil, instead of being completely 
hidden from sight, as book, paper, pen and 
hand all were. 

" One day I received a note from him, by 
a friend, the greater part of which was in 
Latin, and near the bottom of the page a few 
lines in English, signed 'X + Y=Z,' asking me 
what 1 thought of the doctrine contained in 
the Latin passage. Bear in mind that Brother 
Sanders knows nothing of the Latin. On 
reading the Latin I saw at once that it was 
' Patristic,' and not ' Classic ; ' but I did not 
know from which of the ' Fathers ' the quota- 
tion had been excerpted. The point of objec- 
tion in it was the doctrine of * Baptismal re- 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 67 

generation,' which it contained or seemed to 
contain. I did not, and do not so much wonder 
at his memory reproducing the Latin passage, 
which he might easily have seen in some 
learned work, quoted from the original ; but 
how did he know its meaning f Many such 
things as this occurred ; but I do not refer to 
them, for the interesting incident I wish to 
record. This took place as follows: 

HE SEES DEWITT WHEN ABOUT TO FALL OFF THE 
FENCE. 

" One day after my family had eaten dinner, 
my wife said that she wished me to take a 
small bowl of custard and give it to Brother 
Sanders, as I was going over to see him. I 
took the bowl and walked through the orchard 
into, and across a large field by a fence, expect- 
ing to pass through the outside fence at a gap 
which had been down all the winter. When I 
got to the gap, I found it up, the hands on the 
place having righted up the fence for the 
year's work. 



X + y 



" Having a sack of peas in one hand and 
the bowl in the other, I found a difficulty 
before me as to getting over. I did not wish 
to let the fence down, and I concluded to at- 
tempt getting over with both hands full. As 
the rails were old and worn by long use and by 
the wear and tear of passing the gap, I found 
the fence very unsteady and had to keep my 
eye upon the corner very closely, while I slowly 
crawled up until I could place my foot on the 
outside, on a rail near the middle, and while 
the fence shook and twisted, I finally was able 
to step off safely. I can scarcely make the 
reader properly understand the precariousness 
of my position on the fence, and my danger of 
falling, and it is just here that the point of the 
incident appears, as will be seen in a moment. 
"There was no person near me visible; 
the place where I crossed the fence was about 
a half mile from the village ; the road leading 
up a long hill thickly covered on the top with 
trees and undergrowth, and through this I 
passed rapidly down to the village on the 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 



69 



other side. I was some eight minutes in mak- 
ing the distance from the fence to the village, 
not more than ten, including a halt of a minute 
to talk to an old colored man about some wood. 
I did not put down my bowl or sack from the 
time of crossing the fence to Brother Sanders' 
house, which I reached without stopping except 
as just stated. I knocked at the door, was 
admitted, passed the usual salutations, set down 
the bowl, and gave the sack to Mrs. Sanders 
with necessary explanations. Brother Sanders 
was sitting up in his bed ' asleep,' that is, was 
in the abnormal condition we were in the habit 
of calling ' sleep' from want of a better term. 
Having shaken hands with him and sat down 
by his" bed, I commenced conversation with 
him and some friends who were present, when 
he began to laugh and use such expressions of 
amusement as the following: 'I would have 
laughed at you good, DeWitt, if you had fallen 
off" that fence. Ha! ha! ha! Didn't you 
stick to it? You would have spilled the cus- 
tard the good woman was sending to me, but I 



would have been obliged to laugh at you, I 
so amused. 5 



I suspend Mr. DeWitt's narrative to intro- 
duce some statements of Mr. John W. Pruit, of 
Meridianville, corroborative of some of the facts 
given by Mr. DeWitt. He writes : 

"Meridianville, Ala., May 7th, 1876. 
" I certify that one day about the middle of 
the month of Feb., 1866, while Brother Sanders 
was confined to his bed from his dislocated 
thigh, I was at his house, and he was lying in 
his bed and in one of his so-called 'sleeps.' 
He attracted my attention by a hearty laugh. 
" I asked him the cause of his amusement ? 
" He replied, ' I was laughing at DeWitt.' 
"I asked what DeWitt was doing? 
"He said, 'he was having a hard scuffle to 
keep from falling off the fence, for the top rail 
was turning with him and he was trying to 
keep from falling over it.' 

"Nothing more was said on the subject 



THE SLEEPING PKEACHEB. 71 

until DeWitt arrived, which was in ten or fif- 
teen minutes. 

« The fence where the difficulty occurred 
was from three-fourths to a mile distant, on the 
other side of a thick grove of timber and under- 
brush, and of an intervening hill. 

« And I further certify that no communica- 
tion from any person or source was received in 
reference to DeWitt until he arrived and con- 
firmed what S. said. (( j ^ p^,, 

dewitt's statement kesumkd. 
« I was intensely exercised with this, and at 
first enjoyed the mirth of Brother Sanders very 
much : but my mind had gained a point which 
it had been seeking to secure for sometime; 
that is, an undoubted instance of information 
upon a fact, without the usual means of gaining 
it by Brother Sanders, as well as other men. 
Here I had it unquestionably. The fence and 
m y difficulty of getting over had passed out of 
m 'y mind as other little things of life do every 
day, and no allusion to it had been made in 



72 x+ Y = z: 



any way. Every thing connected with the 
incident showed me that no possible explana- 
tion by natural facts and ordinary experience 
could be given of the introduction of the sub- 
ject by Brother Sanders of his own original 
motion. He spoke of it just as one would have 
done who had stood ten steps from the fence 
and watched every movement I made in getting 
over it. Kemember that he had been aboirt 
two weeks closely confined to his bed before, 
and was so for a week or more after the inci- 
dent I have narrated. Mr. Pruit and a couple of 
young ladies had been sitting in the room with 
Brother Sanders for a considerably longer time 
than was necessary for me to come from the fence 
tohishouse. Collusion, information and personal 
sight were impossible under the circumstances. 
"I could give numerous striking incidents 
about the subject of this statement during this 
period of his affliction, and at other times, about 
finding lost things, telling of facts at the time 
of their occurrence at a distance, etc. 

"I have not written to philosophize but to 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 73 

state facts. If. however, I were asked, ' why 
was the peculiar power given to Eev. C. B. 
Sanders of which you have been writing ? ' I 
might give an opinion worth but little. Brother 
Sanders' himself (*. e., in his abnormal condi- 
tion) has frequently said, ' That it was God's 
will for a great purpose, and it would all be 
brought out in due time.' 

" I close by saying that I am satisfied that 
some important end will be attained by it. 

" M. B. DeWitt." 

Since 1872 Mr. DeWitt has filled the re- 
sponsible position of "Book Editor," and 
" Editor of the Theological Medium," " Sabbath 
School Gem," and " Sunday Morning," which 
position he holds by appointment of the " Board 
of Publication of the Cumberland Presbyte- 
rian Church," whose office is in Nashville, Tenn. 

Author. 

he tells where it is, and finds a gold coin. 

" In our parlor on Wednesday or Thursday 

night preceding the first Sabbath in ISTovem- 



74 x + y = z ; 

ber, 1866, Rev. C. B. Sanders, while engaged 
in a social conversation after supper, Dr. J. S. 
Blair and my wife being present, fell into one 
of his abnormal sleeps. Recollecting that I 
had lost a coin of gold previously, I asked him 
to tell me where it was ? I will state, that the 
reader may the better understand the case, that 
during that year I preached regularly on the 
first Sabbath of each month in Mooresville, six- 
teen miles southeast from Athens, where 1 
then did, and still live. 

" On the morning after my appointment 
in May, Mrs. S. C. Peebles (wife of Mr. R. B. 
Peebles, long a merchant in that place), gave 
me some money, mostly silver change, also 
one gold piece, (of foreign coinage, and which 
was estimated at three dollars), to be used by 
me in getting books for the village Sabbath 
school, of which she was superintendent. When 
handed me, I put it loose in the pocket of my 
pantaloon. On reaching home I emptied my 
pocket, putting the money into my desk drawer. 

" The first of the next week, on starting to 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 75 

a meeting of the General Assembly of the 
Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Owens- 
boro, Ky., I went to my drawer to get said 
money, as I expected to purchase the books in 
Louisville, Ky., while gone. I then discovered 
for the first time that the gold was missing. 
Upon inquiry, I could learn nothing about it 
from my family. When I returned to fill my 
appointment at Mooresville, the first Sabbath 
in the next month, I met Brother Sanders 
there ; and in company with him visited,at the 
house of Mrs. Peebles, Mrs. Clara W. Donnell 
(widow of Rev. Robert Donnell), who was sick. 
While in conversation with her about losing 
the coin, Mr. Sanders fell asleep (as it is called) 
and remarked to me that it was not so badly 
lost but what it might be found again ; but 
would not, though I urged him to do so, tell me 
how I was deprived of it, or where it was. 

I saw him no more before autumn, and 
had no further communications with him about 
the missing coin. And I never had doubted 
but what I had put it in the drawer with the 



76 x + y = z ; 

balance of the money ; and really suspected 
some of our family servants (for they were 
still living with us), had taken it ; though we 
had never known them to take anything dis- 
honestly. To my question he replied by ask- 
ing, if I knew where the lane from the depot 
(meaning the first Mooresville depot) comes 
into Hobb's lane ? I answered I did. He then 
said, (stating the number of panels from the 
mouth of the lane, and the number of feet from 
the last named panel, which numbers I cannot 
recollect), l It is lying there,' (placing the end 
of his fore-finger on the nail of his thumb) 
' about that much above ground.' I suppose it 
represented from -J- to J of an inch exposed. 

" On Friday Miss M. A. Walton and Mrs. 
Major Woodroof, from Mooresville, dined with 
us and proposed to Dr. Sanders to take a seat 
with them (as they were travelling in a car- 
riage), and accompany them home. He ac- 
cepted their proposition. I privately informed 
them what Dr. S. had told me about the lost 
gold ; and if he went asleep, I requested them 



THE SLEEPING TREACUEK. 77 

not to arouse him, and see if he would find it, 
as they would pass the place he indicated. 
They told me on my arrival at Mooresville on 
the next day that, on the way they were teasing 
him about going to sleep. He wanted them 
to tell why they wished it. This they refused 
to do. When within about one mile of the 
place, the spell came on him. He at once 
laughingly remarked, ' I know why you wanted 
me to go to sleep.' When they arrived at the 
place, or a few yards beyond, he told them to 
stop the carriage ; and he got out, walked direct- 
ly to the place, picked up the coin and brought 
it to them. I add, the gold coin was such as 
none of us had ever seen, and there were sev- 
eral present when it was handed to me, and we 
were satisfied, upon inspecting the one he 
found, that it was the identical one Mrs. 
Peebles gave me. Also there were as many as 
three different roads that I travelled at differ- 
ent times in my visits to and from Mooresville, 
and this was not the one I most frequently 
used, but I did return by it on that trip. I 



78 x + y = z; 

subsequently asked Sanders, when asleep, how 
I lost it ? He said, ' You pulled it out with 
your pocket-knife.' It is true that I put the 
money in the pocket where I carry my knife. 
« G. W. Mitchell." 

" I certify that what is said above, so far as 
it relates to facts with which I was connected, 
is literally true. 

" Mrs. H. A. Woodroof." 

Mookesville, Ala., June 12th, 1876. 
THE DEATH OF LIEUTENANT MCCLURE ANNOUNCED. 

" On the same night he revealed the place 
of the lost gold coin, as before related, and per- 
haps about one hour afterwards, Dr. Blair, my 
wife and myself being present, Dr. Sanders 
took his seat at the front window of the parlor. 
Our attention was attracted by manifestations 
of sympathy, sadness and distress from him, 
accompanied by such expressions as, i Poor 
fellow ! What a pity ! ' He continued to 
repeat them, alternated with inarticulate ex- 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 79 

pressions of intense emotion for a short time, 
I would say, from one to several minutes. 
Tli en lie said, as well as I remember, ' He is 
gone ! gone ! gone ! ' closing in a solemn whis- 
per. There was for a short time a silence 
and stillness, such as usually is witnessed at the 
closing scene of a dying friend, which was 
broken by my asking him the cause of these 
manifestations. We were quite shocked on 
hearing his reply that, ' Lieutenant McClure 
has just died suddenly from an internal hemor- 
rhage near Clarkesville, Tennessee.' 

" We append the following facts : Lieuten- 
ant Robert McClure, some few months pre- 
vious, had married Miss Pattie, daughter of 
R. W. Yasser, deceased (long a prominent 
citizen and merchant in this place), and had, a 
few days before this, gone on a visit to his 
father, whose residence was then, and still is 
in the immediate vicinity of Clarkesville, Ten- 
nessee, about forty miles below Nashville, hav- 
ing left his wife at her mother's, as he expected 
to make a flying trip. On the next morn- 



80 x + y = z ; 

ing after Mr. Sanders' development, above 
written, a telegram was received from Clarkes- 
ville bringing to his young bride the unex- 
pected and melancholy news of her husband's 
sudden death. And it confirmed, in every cir- 
cumstance, what Mr. Sanders had stated the 
night before. Clarkesville, Tennessee, via Nash- 
ville, is nearly one hundred and fifty miles dis- 
tant from Athens, Ala. 

" A recent letter, from a lady who was pre- 
sent, states that Lieutenant McClure died on 
Wednesday night between 8 and 9 o'clock, the 
2d of November, 1866. He was sitting in her 
room reading aloud a book ; had a paroxysm 
of coughing, and remarked to her that it was 
blood that he spit out. She put her babe down, 
which she was nursing, and assisted him in 
sitting down, for he had arisen to his feet. She 
thinks he did not breathe, after being seated. 

" After writing these last two cases, I re- 
ceived the following testimony from J. S. 
Blair, M. D. 

" G. W. Mitchell." 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 81 

"Near Brownsboro', Ala., April 3d, 1876. 

" By request of Eev. G. W. Mitchell, I 
make this statement of what I heard and wit- 
nessed at his house some time in the fall of 1866, 
in reference to disclosures made by Rev. C. B. 
Sanders, while in a state usually called, ' sleep.' 

" We were sitting in the parlor after sup- 
per. Brother Mitchell asked him some ques- 
tions in reference to a piece of gold given him 
by Mrs. Peebles of Mooresville to buy Sunday 
school books. The questions and replies, as 
nearly as I can remember, were as follows : 
1 Can you tell me what became of that piece of 
gold I received of Sister Peebles?' Ans. 
You lost it coming home.' Ques. ' Can you 
tell me where I lost it ? ' Ans. ' Yes, you 
dropped it in a lane,' (naming the lane which 
I can not recollect). Ques. ' Can you tell me 
whereabouts in the lane ? ' Ans. ' Yes.' Then 
counting on his fingers he said : ' So many 
panels from the corner of the lane, and so 
many feet from the last panel counted, lies 
the little fellow with a small portion visible.' 
4.* 



82 x + y ■- z ; 

" There was another thing we witnessed the 
same evening deserving notice. It was this. 
After a silence of some time, Sanders showed 
evident manifestations of sympathy and mental 
suffering ; and in a low and plaintive tone sym- 
pathizingly expressed ; c Poor fellow ! How he 
suffers ! He is almost gone ! ' And pausing for 
a moment — ' He is going ! Going ! Gone ! ' 

" The question being asked who it was he 
was in trouble about, he replied, ' Lieutenant 
McClure is dead.' Other things were stated 
in reference to his death, which are not dis- 
tinctly recollected. 

" I remained all night at Brother Mitchell's. 
Early next morning a telegram corroborated 
the statements of Dr. Sanders. 

"J. S. Blair." 

" Meridian ville, Ala., May 10th, 1876. 

" In the year 1866 we were living in the 

village of Meridianville, eight and a half miles 

north of Huntsville, Ala., next door from the 

residence of Eev. C. B. Sanders, with whom 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 83 

and his family we were intimately acquainted ; 
and of whose congregation my husband and 
I were members. 

" We often witnessed his peculiar spells by 
day and by night. I was frequently called by 
his wife to assist her in taking care of him. In 
some of these spells, which continued without 
intervals, often a day or more, and in a few 
instances even three or four weeks, his physi- 
cal sufferings were not only peculiar, but also 
intensely severe. 

" During these spells he would often write 
with his paper under the bed cover, even with 
his eyes shut and bandaged. (The bandage 
was applied because the light aggravated the 
pains in his eyes.) We often examined these 
writings, and found them as accurately per- 
formed, in all respects, as is done by writers 
generally, under most favorable circumstances 
with open eyes. He followed the lines, dotting 
i's, crossing t's, punctuating, making sections, 
and interlining, where there were omissions. 
We have witnessed, in many instances, while 



84 x + y = z ; 

thus bandaged, his reading chapters in the 
Bible. Have heard him repeat texts, and then 
turn to them, and with his finger point them 
out to us. 

" We have also witnessed many of his 
remarkable developments, some of which, for 
the satisfaction of all who may take an interest 
in their perusal, we will relate. 

THE BURNING IN SALISBURY, N. C. 

"Early in the year 1866 Mr. Sanders, 
while taking a ride, received a severe injury, 
by his horse falling, bruising his thigh and 
dislocating his hip-joint. From this he was 
confined to his bed about three weeks. We 
were with him more or less every day or night, 
or both, during his confinement. He was in 
his nervous sleep, as far as we knew, while 
confined. 

" The first time he left his room he came 
on crutches to our door, but said he was not 
able to get into the house. Eariy next morn- 
ing he came into our house, and after saluta- 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 85 

tions and being seated he said, ' Sister Brown, 
have you gotten over the blues yet ? ' (I was 
troubled, as he knew, because I had not heard 
from my folks at Salisbury and vicinity for 
a long time.) c You need not have any uneasi- 
ness about your folks at home. I went to see 
them last night. They are all as well as usual.'' 

" I observed he had a slip of paper from 
which he appeared to read, saying : i They bad 
a burning in Salisbury last night. It com- 
menced in a tin-shop, and burnt on to the cor- 
ner of the Wheeler Block. 5 

" Having several relatives living in the 
place, one of whom, (Mr. Will. Brown) also 
had a tin-shop, I felt much interest in regard to 
the case. I asked him in whose tin-shop did 
the fire break out ? He replied by naming the 
block in which it was located : by which I knew 
it was not Mr. Will. Brown's, as it was on the 
other side of the street. 

" Mrs. Dr. Searcy and Mrs. Bentley (famil- 
iarly called ' good aunt Judie ') came in, a few 
minutes after Mr. Sanders had returned home. 



86 x + y = z; 

I stated to them what Mr. Sanders had just 
told me as above, and requested them to 
remember the statements above written. 

" I told them I would write to some of my 
friends in that community, and would let them 
know what information I might get. 

" "Without delay I wrote to my sister, the 
wife of Major "N". F. Hall, living in the vicinity 
of Salisbury. 

"While I was anxiously awaiting an an- 
swer, which was somewhat delayed, Mr. San- 
ders, in one of his spells, told me that the letter 
I was so anxious to get, was on the way ; and 
that it would give me full satisfaction. 

IC In a short time after this, I got an answer 
from my sister, Mrs. Hall, fully confirming all 
Mr. Sanders had told me about the fire in Sal- 
isbury : — the time it occurred, the tin-shop in 
which it broke out, and the extent of its rav- 
ages. 

" Mary A. Brown." 

I certify from my own personal knowledge 
that the foregoing statements made by my wife, 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 87 

Mary A. Brown, are true in all their essential 

items. 

"J. V. Brown." 

" We certify to the truth of the foregoing 
statements of Mrs. Brown, in which she refers 
to us personally ; and that on the receipt of 
the letter from her sister, she told us that 
everything occurred with regard to the burn- 
ing in Salisbury, as Mr. Sanders had told her. 

" Judith B. Bentley. 

"Mrs. Dr. E. T. Searcy." 

M We certify that Rev. C. B. Sanders re- 
ceived his injury by his horse falling, while he 
was riding on the 5th day of Feb., 1866. 
" Mrs. D. T. Strother. 
" Mrs. Georgia Blankenship." 

" Meridianville, Ala., June 7th, 1876. 

" I certify that on the same day or within 

a few days after Mr. Sanders communicated 

the account of the burning of Salisbury, N". C, 

to Mrs. Brown, she made a statement of it to 



88 x + y = z ; 

me, as is set forth in the foregoing narrative ; 

and afterwards when she received her sister's 

letter, she told me that it confirmed all the 

facts stated by Mr. Sanders; and that the 

burning did occur in the night before he gave 

the information. 

" J. W. Pruit. " 

A recent letter from North Carolina states 
that the fire occurred in Salisbury, Feb. 26th, 
1866. 

THE " SLEEPING MAN " DESCRIBES THE BROWN 
FARM, N. C. 

" During the same confinement mentioned 
in my foregoing statement, in his sleeping 
state, Mr. Sanders gave my husband and me 
a minute description of my father's homestead, 
situated near Mount Ulla, in Rowan, and near 
the line of Iredell County, E". C. 

" In speaking of a division that might be 
made of the tract of land, he described a cer- 
tain tree as a beginning point, then proceeded 
to describe the line to be rim, giving courses, 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 80 

distances, the manner in which the lines would 
pass certain places ; such as the orchard — the 
branch — the stock-lot — the barn, etc., with as 
much accuracy as any one could have possi- 
bly done, had he been on the identical spot of 
ground. 

" I lived on the place from my earliest re- 
collection until after I was married. 

" Mr. Sanders, as is well known, was never 

in North Carolina, and I feel satisfied that 

he had no means of getting a description of 

the place. 

"Mrs. M. A. Brown." 

I certify that I lived a number of years in 
the immediate vicinity of the above described 
farm ; and on it one year after 1 was married ; 
and I testify to the truth of the above state- 
ments of my wife. 

J. V. Brown. 
June 9th, 1876. 

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS BY MR. BROWN AND 
WIFE. 

" We wish to state that when we first began 



90 x + y = z; 

to witness these peculiar developments of Mr. 
Sanders, we were very incredulous about their 
reality. We were indisposed to report what 
we witnessed, except to a few confidential 
friends. Indeed we did not want to believe 
in the reality of these phenomena. And after 
repeated cases, in which conviction was irre- 
sistible, we were disposed to be reticent, be- 
cause we thought our own veracity would be 
impeached, or we would be regarded as under 
delusion or superstition. But now after so 
long and so intimate an acquaintance with him ; 
and from our knowledge of his character, in- 
telligence, sincerity, integrity, humility and 
consecration to the ministry; his success and 
usefulness, not only in our congregation, but 
also in others, (although we cannot explain or 
comprehend these things,) we unhesitatingly 
state our conviction of his wonderful capaci- 
ties in his peculiar spells, as evinced in the 
foregoing statement of facts. 

"J. Y. andM. A. Brown." 



CHAPTER IV. 

Reminiscences, by Rev. M. H. Bone. — Mrs. Donnell's 
Statement. — Finds a Watch Chain. — Cases by Mrs. 
Vaughan and Patterson. — Death of Miss Strong. — His 
sick Family. — A Negro turning Summersaults. — Din- 
ner Chitchat. — Statement by a Colored Woman. — 
Tricks of a Rat. — Statement by Mrs. Burke and 
Shoenberger. — Miss Banks struck by Lightning. — 
Cases by Mrs. Searcy. — Death of Dr. Sheffy. — Wri- 
ting Poetry. — Miss Hardie's Statement. — Death of a 
Minister. — Major Woodroof's Testimony of Charac- 
ter. — The Doctor's Patient. 

REV. M. H. BONE'S REMINISCENCES AND OPINIONS. 

" Rev. G. W. Mitchell desires that I write 
something for his forthcoming book in refer- 
ence to Rev. C. B. Sanders. If Sanders were 
dead I would say a great deal about him, but 
as he is a living man, modesty will preclude all 
attempts at eulogy and confine me to a sober 
statement of matters of fact ; and I allow Mr. 
Mitchell to make what use of them, in his 
judgment and prudence, he may see proper. 



92 x + y = z; 

" I knew nothing of Mr. Sanders until he 
presented himself to the Presbytery, as a can- 
didate for the ministry. I did not think him 
possessed of more than ordinary natural ability. 
I thought with proper training and industry 
he might attain to usefulness in his calling. 
In a short time I learned that he was afflict- 
ed with something like nervous spasms, which 
I regarded as discouraging to his becoming a 
preacher of any eminence. 

"My first personal association with him was 
at a sacramental meeting at New Market ; and 
there not very close, until Sunday night, which 
occurred in the following way : After church 
I had retired to my room alone, and having 
fallen asleep, was awakened by my landlord 
with a candle in his hand, and Brother Sanders 
in company. He said he had brought me a 
bed-fellow ; and retired, taking the candle with 
him. I felt no little alarm at the idea of sleep- 
ing with a man that had spasms ; especially in 
a room alone with him, and that room isolated 
from the family residence. 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 93 

" Sometime in the night, after he had taken 
a sweet sleep, which was denied me in conse- 
quence of my perturbed state of mind, and look- 
ing out for the tit which I anticipated, he began 
to struggle, with terrible contortions of the 
muscles, and the while groaning heavily. In 
about fifteen or twenty minutes, all at once, 
his muscles relaxed, his groans ceased, and in 
a sweet, soft, subdued tone he sang a beautiful 
song. It was the most heavenly music I ever 
heard. Then he made a short fervent prayer. 
He then preached a sermon on the ' Judg- 
ment,' for about twenty-five minutes, which I 
never heard excelled by any one. My blood re- 
turned to its natural channel, — my heart ceased 
to palpitate, — and I ceased to shudder. My soul 
was filled with heavenly raptures, and instead 
of being scared to death, I was surprised and 
filled with joy unspeakable. He soon fell into 
a sweet slumber, and so did I. I was not afraid 
of him now, but regarded him, in my heart, as 
an angel of peace. I have seen him in like con- 
dition very often since. 



94 x + y = z ; 

" Through various vicissitudes, and many 
and sore trials, Dr. Sanders has worked himself 
up to his present status before the church and 
the world ; and stands before both pre-emi- 
nently a self-made man. In the first place, he 
has by his industry and application attained a 
respectable scholarship in the sciences and Eng- 
lish literature. These attainments added to 
his native genius and strength of intellect, emi- 
nently qualify him to fill any position to which 
his laudable ambition may aspire. 

" Secondly. His social qualities make him a 
pleasant companion in any circle in life, while 
his meekness and unobtrusive manners com- 
mend him to the confidence and admiration 
of all. 

" Thirdly. His piety is acknowledged by 
all to be consistent and profound, ( commend- 
ing him to every man's conscience in the sight 
of God.' 

" Fourthly. But few ministers of the pres- 
ent age surpass him as a pulpit orator : his 
manner in the pulpit is earnest and persuasive. 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 95 

"Fifthly. His talents as a sermonizer are 
surpassed but by few of the most popular min- 
isters. His zeal for the honor of God and the 
salvation of mankind, his humility and conse- 
cration of self, with all he possesses, to the 
objects of the gospel, render him abundantly 
useful as a minister of Jesus Christ, under the 
administration of the Holy Ghost. 

" I have never known any man make greater 
improvement, with like facilities, in the same 
length of time, than has Dr. Sanders, since he 
commenced his ministerial career. 

" M. H. Bone." 

Mr. Bone is venerable in years, unblem- 
ished in character, honored by his church, and 
esteemed by all who know him. 

HE FINDS A GOLD WATCH CHAIN. 

" I have known Kev. Mr. Sanders for more 
than twenty years ; and have the utmost confi- 
dence in him, as a Christian gentleman, of 
much more than ordinary piety and intellectual 
endowments. 



06 x + y = z ; 

" He is subject to peculiar sleeping spells, 
as they are generally termed, because no better 
name can be given to this idiosyncrasy. 

" When in this condition he gives manifes- 
tations of his wonderful ability of seeing, hear- 
ing, and knowing past and present transactions, 
which it seems, would be impossible for him to 
know, except under the influence of some inex- 
plicable power or faculty, which neither he (in 
his normal condition) nor his acquaintances can 
fathom. I will give one instance among many 
which have come under my observation. 

" Miss Mary Walton, Mr. Sanders and my- 
self left Mooresville, Ala., for Athens, distant 
about sixteen miles. We were in a carriage. 
Mr. Sanders and I took the back seat. . Soon 
after starting, Mr. Sanders went into one of 
his peculiar sleeps, his head leaning on the back 
curtain of the carriage. After going about six 
miles Mr. Sanders said, his head still in the 
same position, with his eyes closed, * There, I 
believe I will get that.' I called quickly to 
the driver to stop the carriage ; and said to 



THE SLEEPING TREACHER. 97 

Mr. S., ' Come, let us get out and get it.' He 
replied, ' No, I don't believe I will.' 

" I said : ' But you must. I want it, if you 
don't.' And getting out, I used a little persua- 
sion, to which he yielded. He got out with 
his eyes still closed ; for I watched this closely ; 
and counting aloud sixteen steps, stooped down, 
caught hold of the hook of a rather heavy gold 
watch-chain, and drew it out of the sand, which 
fell from the chain as he drew it up. My eye 
followed his hand as he stooped, and there was 
nothing visible to me, till he drew the chain 
out of the sand. During the time, his eyes 
were closed, as far as I could discover. 

" After getting back into the carriage he 
still slept. 

" Miss Walton then suggested that we put 
the chain into his vest pocket, then awaken 
him, and see what he would say. This we did. 
He seemed surprised when he found the chain 
in his pocket. When asked how it came there, 
said ; ' T suppose one of you two put it 
there.' 



98 x + y = z; 

"When the facts were told him, he ex- 
pressed regret at the occurrence. 

" He remained that night with the Rev. G. 
W. Mitchell. 

" I have been informed that the owner re- 
ceived the chain. 

" This is a true statement of facts. 

" Mrs. Clara W. Donnell. 
" Athens, Ala., August 4th, 1875." 

Mrs. Donnell, (the widow of the Rev. Rob- 
ert Donnell, one of the Fathers of the Cum- 
berland church,) is very extensively known 
and her name is a household word in nearly 
every family in the church. Her reputation 
for intelligence and probity is most unques- 
tionable. 

" Huntsville Ala., May 8th, 1876. 
" We certify that we have been acquainted 
with Rev. C. B. Sanders since the year 1869, 
and were intimately associated with him for sev- 
eral years ; he having preached for our con- 
gregation a portion of his time, in the vil- 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. \)\) 

lage of Madison, situated on the Memphis and 
Charleston Railroad about nine miles west of 
this city. We have, in a great many instances, 
been present while he was in his peculiar 
sleeps ; and have heard him, while in that state, 
declare that certain occurrences were then tak- 
ing place, at a distance, sometimes of many miles 
from where we were at the time ; of the truth 
of which declarations in every respect, we after- 
wards obtained unmistakable evidence. 

" On January the 23d, 1869, we were with 
him at the residence of Mr. W. R. John- 
ston, who was at that time a merchant living 
at Madison, and while asleep, walking to and 
fro in the house, he remarked with evident 
emotion. ' Nanie Strong is dead.' He was 
asked when she died, he replied, ' She has 
just died ;' and gave the hour and minute which 
are not now recollected. 

" We learned in a short time, that the 
young lady, (Miss Nanie Strong, did die at her 
father's (Mr. Charles Strong's) house, some six 
or seven miles north of this city, on the day and 

L.ofC. 



100 x + y = z ; 

about the hour he made the statement above 
given. 

" And we know he had no means of com- 
munication from Mr. Charles Strong's on the 
occasion. 

" Mrs. Amanda O. Vaughan. 

" Mrs. Sopha Patterson.'' 

he tells of the sickness of his family. 
"Madison, Ala., June 15th, 1876. 
" In 1869 Dr. Sanders spent several days 
at our house practicing dentistry. One evening 
he went to a window, and looked in the direc- 
tion of Mooresville, where he resided, and com- 
menced weeping, showing intense feelings of 
distress ; with exclamations such as, Poor Du., 
etc. ! (meaning his wife.) Being asked the cause 
of his distress, he replied : i My wife and sev- 
eral children (naming them,) are all sick, and un- 
less I hear from them, I will go home to-morrow 
on the next train.' He had left them well. 

" A letter from home the next morning in- 
formed him of the sickness of his wife and 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 101 

the children, as he stated to us, and that all 
were better. 

"Mrs. S. C. Johnston. 

"Mrs. Sopha Patterson." 

he tells of the negro turning summersaults. 

" After supper, on another occasion, Mr. 
Johnston having returned to his store, Dr. 
Sanders in one of his sleeps, walked to the end 
of the room and looking in the direction of the 
store, broke into a hearty laugh, which was 
continued at intervals for some minutes. He 
at length remarked, ' They are having a lively 
time at the store.' 

" When Mr. Johnston returned home, we 
asked him what amusement had they at the store 
at the time above mentioned % He answered : 
A negro boy was entertaining the company by 
turning summersaults over the back of a chair, 
that afforded them considerable amusement. 

" The store was more than three hundred 
yards distant. 

" Mrs. S. C. Johnston. 
"Mrs. Sopiia Patterson." 



102 x + y --= z ; 

HE HEATJS A DINNER CHIT-CHAT WEEN ONE 
MILE DISTANT. 

" On one occasion Mrs. W. K. Johnston, of 
Madison, in the year 1869 or 1870, and her 
sister, Mrs. Amanda Vaughan (now of Hunts- 
ville,) and Dr. Sanders, upon invitation, spent 
the day on a social visit with the family of 
Mr. Richard Jimmarr at his residence, about 
one mile distant from the village. When din- 
ner was announced, Mr. Sanders was in one of 
his sleeps. A gentleman dined with Mr. John- 
ston that day at his residence in the village, 
Miss Sopha Davis (now Mrs. Patterson, Moores- 
ville) being also at the table, when a conversation 
was had among them in reference to an arrange- 
ment to employ Mr. Sanders to preach a part 
of his time in the village. Miss Davis remarked 
that she thought that for a certain salary (nam- 
ing the amount) his services might be secured ; 
saying also that he had been offered a larger 
amount (stating the sum) to preach at another 
place, a greater distance from his home. To 



THE SLEEPING TREACHER. 103 

which Mr. Johnston, in a jocular manner, re- 
plied, ' That he had never preached, but if 
they would give him that amount, he believed 
he would try it.' 

" After the visiting party returned late that 
evening, Mr. Sanders handed a note to one of 
the family with the request to hand it to Mr. 
Johnston. In the note he said : ' Brother 
Johnston, do you think you could take charge 
of my little church in the valley, if they will 
give you the amount proposed to me ? as you 
said, you never had preached, but believed you 
would try for that amount.' 

" None of those who heard Mr. Johnston's 
remarks, had communicated anything in refer- 
ence thereto to Mr. Sanders. 

" I testify to the truth of the foregoing state- 
ments, so far as they relate to the visit to Mr. 
Jimmarr's and what took place at my home on 
our return. 

" Mrs. Seraph. C. Johnston." 
Madison, Ala., June 5th, 1876. 

" I certify that I heard the conversation at 



104 x + y = z; 

Mr. Johnston's table, and that all the facts are 
correct in reference thereto, as before written. 
" Mrs. Sopiia Patterson." 

the sleeping preacher tells what a rat 

IS DOING. 

" Meridian ville, Ala., May lltli, 187G. 

" I certify that I lived with Rev. C. B. San- 
ders, in this place, in the year 1866, and per- 
formed the duties of house-servant. I wit- 
nessed, almost daily, his peculiar spells of what 
was called going asleep ; when he would tell 
where things were in the dark, when nobody 
else could see them ; and would sing and pray 
and preach, and such like things. 

" Once, when I had washed and ironed the 
clothes and had taken them up stairs, and laid 
them on a big trunk, and had come down again, 
Mt. Sanders was asleep then, and he said, ' Pun, 
Sue ! run ! a rat has got one of our handker- 
chiefs, and is running off with it.' I and a 
white woman ran up stairs, and found, sure 
enough, a rat had pulled the handkerchief of! 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 105 

the trunk, and nearly clear into a hole through 
the ceiling just at the top of the wash-board. 
This took place in the night just after supper. 

" Mrs. Susan Friend, Col'd." 

(Attest,) 

"Sarah E. Bentley. 
"Emma A. Ware." 

" This is to say that Susan Friend has lived 
in this community for quite a number of years ; 
and that she is regarded by all as a truthful 
and honest person ; and is considerably above 
the average negro in these respects. 

" A. J. Bentley. 

"J. W. Prtjit." 

the sleeping preacher tells of a young 
lady being struck with lightning. 
" In the summer of 1867, our sister Nannie 
Strong was on a visit to the family of the 
Kev. C B. Sanders, in the village of Meridian- 
ville. On her return home on the next morn- 
ing, two and a half miles from the village, she 
related to our family in our hearing, the follow- 
5* 



106 x + y = z ; 

ing, viz.: That Mr. Sanders, in one of his sleep- 
ing spells, announced to her and others, one of 
whom was our cousin, Miss Sallie Humphrey, 
(now Mrs. Wines, of Chicago, 111.) that Miss Mat- 
tie Banks was just then struck with lightning, at 
her father's residence in Decatur, Alabama, 
about thirty-five miles distant. He exclaimed, 
' O how she suffers ! ' He then described how 
she was burnt ; speaking of one of her arms, 
particularly, as being much injured. 

'* Nannie then said to us that she would 
watch the next paper to see if it gave any ac- 
count of Miss Banks being thus injured ; that 
, there were some who regarded Mr. Sanders as 
a humbug ; but if this case proved to be true, 
then she would be convinced. 

u When the paper came, sure enough the 
case was reported as having occurred at the 
time and with the particular injuries, as our 
sister stated to us, as above given. 

" Mrs. Henrietta Burke. 
" Mrs. Fannie Shoenberger. 
June 10th, 1876." 



THE SLEEPING TREACHER. 107 



THE BLEEPING PREACHER ANNOUNCES THE DEATH 
OF DR. SHEFFY. 

" During the prevalence of cholera in 
Huntsville, Ala., in 1866, Kev. C. B. Sanders 
lived across the street from our residence in 
Meridianville. 

" Early one morning a lady (Mrs. Ed. Doug- 
lass) who had spent the night at his house, on 
my calling, told me that Mr. Sanders during the 
night, between twelve and one o'clock, seemed 
to be in distress, and remarked ' Poor fellow ; 
he is gone!' She asked him, who? He re- 
plied, < Dr. Shefiy.' 

" I immediately went into the house ; and 
his wife said also that Dr. Sanders said that 
night, ' Dr. Sherry died at 12J o'clock.' 

" My husband, Dr. R. T. Searcy, made a 
professional visit, early next morning, on the 
road leading to Huntsville, and met a messen- 
ger with a note from Dr. Erskine of Huntsville, 
in reference to the sickness of my brother, Dr. 
J. Jeff. Demont, a partner of Dr. Sheffy, and 



108 x + y = z ; 

who also had cholera. At the close of the let- 
ter Dr. Erskine said ; ' Dr. Sheffy, poor fellow, 
died at half past twelve last night.' 

" Mrs. Db. K. T. Searcy. 
Decatur, Ala., June 15th, 1876." 

THE SLEEPING PREACHER WRITES VERSES OF 
THANKS. 

" Od another occasion when I was present, 
Dr. Sanders asked for pencil and paper, and put- 
ting them under the cover (for he was in hed,) 
and pulling it up close around his neck, wrote 
something that seemed to afford him much 
amusement while writiiig. 

" "Very soon afterwards a lady, living a mile 
distant, came in and said to him : ' Dr. Sanders, 
I have brought you some sugar candy which I 
made expressly for you ; ' and handed it to 
him. At the same time he handed her the 
paper on which he had written. After reading 
it, she handed it to me. I read it, and found 
it to be a lengthy piece of poetry, in reference 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 109 

to the lady making the candy, and expressing 
his thanks for the favor. 

"Mrs. Dr. E. T. Searcy. 
Decatur, Ala., June 15th, 1876." 

HE ANNOUNCES THE DEATH OF REV. A. F. 
DRISKELL. 

" Huntsville, Ala., May 11th, 1876. 

" I certify that in the spring of 1875 I 
spent several months in the family of Rev. C. 
B. Sanders, in Maysville, in this (Madison) 
county, and often was present when he had 
spells of what is called nervous sleeps. 

" During the latter part of a spell of sick- 
ness, by which he was confined to bed about 
two weeks, at a late hour one night, while his 
wife and I were sitting up with him, address- 
ing his wife, he said, as near as I can remem- 
ber, ' That dear old preacher is about leaving 
his labor on earth for his reward in heaven.' 
His wife asked, ' Who ? ' He replied, 

« < The Eev. A. F. Driskell.' 



110 x + y = z ; 

" She asked, ' What is the matter, is he 
sick ? ' 

" He replied, ' He is now djang.' 
" Rev. ¥m. McQueen came in to see Mr. 
Sanders on the next Sabbath morning, only a 
few days after this, and reported in my presence 
that Brother Driskell was dead. And when 
asked by Mrs. Sanders at what time his death 
took place, he answered by stating the time, 
which was, as nearly as we could remember it, 
about the same hour of the night, and on the 
same night, that Mr. Sanders made the state- 
ment above mentioned. 

" Miss Florence Hardie." 

I learn the distance between Maysville and 
Rev. Mr. Driskell's residence where he died, is 
about twenty miles. 

MAJOR WOODROOF's TESTIMONY OF CHARACTER, 
ETC. 

" Mooresville, Ala., June 16, 1876 
"1 have been personally acquainted with 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. Ill 

Rev. C. B. Sanders since 1857, and intimately 
for the last ten years, he having often spent days 
and nights, and while practicing dentistry, even 
weeks, in succession in my family ; and after- 
wards, while visiting our village as our regular 
ministerial supply. He also lived in my immedi- 
ate vicinity in this village, from the latter part 
of 1S67 to October, 1869. I have seen him in 
these sleeps more than a hundred times, by 
day and by night. I have witnessed his peculiar 
sufferings in all their variety, from the slight- 
est, to those of indescribably intense suffering. 
I have seen him seized often with what seemed 
to be congestion of the lungs ; and in some 
instances, when respiration and pulse entirely 
ceased for the space of from one to three min- 
utes ; when those present, in some instances, 
pronounced him dead. 1 have witnessed almost 
every variety of mental phenomena, peculiar 
to him in his sleeps ; have heard him talk on a 
variety of subjects with marked intelligence ; 
sometimes in the most serious mood ; some- 
times in most pathetic strains ; and at others, 



112 x + y = z; 

in a very facetious manner. I have often 
seen him join my children, for a while, in 
their juvenile sports. I have heard him sing, 
pray, and even preach in many instances ; I 
have heard him very often speak of occurrences 
transpiring so remote that it was impossible for 
him, in a natural way, to see them, and of events 
already transpired, of the reality of which, 
upon inquiry or investigation, I had the most 
indubitable evidence. I have seen him write 
often with his eyes bandaged, also in the dark, 
as accurately as if his eyes were open in the 
light. I have also, in various instances, seen 
him read a newspaper in this condition with 
entire accuracy. 

" I have never known anything in his life, 
or conversations, incompatible with the strictest 
propriety in a gentleman or Christian. As a 
minister, he is highly esteemed ; and his use- 
fulness is manifest to all who are acquainted 
with his labors in the gospel. 

"J. W. WOODEOOF." 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 113 

THE SLEEPING PREACHER'S REPORT IN REFER- 
ENCE TO THE DOCTOR'S PATIENT. 

" Mooeesville, Ala., June 14th, 1876. 

" As well as I remember it was in the lat- 
ter part of the year 1866 I had a sick neighbor, 
living about two and a half miles from our vil- 
lage, upon whom Dr. TV". T. Thach was attend- 
ing. After having made a visit to his patient, 
the doctor called at my house after supper, Dr. 
Sanders being present and in one of his sleeps. 
I inquired of Dr. Thach about his patient. 
After stating that his case was critical, he asked 
Dr. Sanders how the sick man was then doing ? 
Sanders replied, ' Pie is no worse than when 
you left him, but his wife has made a mistake 
in giving the medicine, and has not followed 
your directions. You left two different pow- 
ders to be given, one in a white, the other in a 
blue paper, directing her which to give first ; 
and if certain results followed, then to give the 
other. But I think her mistake will do no harm.' 

" Dr. Thach then asked him if he knew of 



114- x + y = z; 

what the powders were composed ? He replied 
by telling the component parts of each. 

" I sought a private opportunity, before 
Dr. Thach left my house, and inquired if the 
description given by Dr. Sanders of the pow- 
ders, and the directions for administering them 
were correct ? He replied that they were in 
every particular. 

Dr. Thach visited his patient on the next 
morning. On his return, I called on him to 
know how my sick friend was. He said he 
was no worse than the day before. I then in- 
quired in reference to the giving of the pow- 
ders the previous night. He told me that the 
sick man's wife met him on the portico on 
his arrival, and, with evident anxiety, at once 
said that she made a mistake last night and 
gave the wrong powder ; and asked if it would 
injure her husband. She said she almost de- 
cided to send for him, as soon as she discovered 
her mistake ; but upon waiting awhile, she 
could discover no unfavorable results, and con- 
sequently did not send. 

" J. W. WOODROOF." 



CHAPTEE Y. . 

Letter of Rev. N. T. Power.— What he Witnessed.— 
Cases by Captain Hampton and wife. — Surgical Opera- 
tion. — The Lunatic. — Attempted Trade. — Statement 
by the Carter Family. — Writing a Letter. — Finding a 
Pencil. — Statement by Mrs. Wooton. — Her Letter 
Copied. — Cases by Mr. Buchanan. — Secret Trou- 
bles — Partnership. — Conversation. — Covenant. — Di- 
agnosis. — Mrs. Judge Mark's Statement. — Reading 
French. — Rev. M. H. Bone's Statement. — A Sermon 
Reported. — Copies Mitchell's Letter. — Rev. R. M. 
Tinnon's Statement. — Extract from a Speech Re- 
ported. 

WHAT REV. N. T. POWER SAW AND HEARD. 
" Salem, Tenn., July 5th, 1876. 
" Eev. G. W. Mitchell, Athens, Ala : — 
Dear Brother — I received your letter sometime 
ago, and have been waiting and trying to call 
to mind something that would be of importance 
to you ; but never once dreaming that I would 
be called on to state what I had heard and seen 



116 x + y II z; 

in reference to Brother Sanders, I cannot at 
this time say much that will be of interest. 

" I have known him intimately, about, I 
think, twenty years. His spells (as I will call 
them) for many years were attended with great 
suffering, during which he would talk, pray, 
sing and preach, all of which were performed 
as well as I ever heard him do in the pulpit. 
About, I think, fifteen years ago, I was at his 
house one cold day when he had a spell and 
lay down on his bed. His wife covered him 
up. He sang a hymn, took a text and preached 
a good sermon. When through he pulls out 
his watch, his hands and watch being under 
the cover, and his eyes shut, and told the time 
of day to a minute, as I ascertained by exami- 
nation. He then called for paper, which was 
given him ; pulled out his pencil, all being 
under cover, and his eyes being shut, and wrote 
about half of a page, which was well done ; — 
following the lines, words and spaces well pro- 
portioned, orthography good, i's dotted, fs 
crossed, and punctuation faultless. 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 117 

"For several years past I have not been 
so much with him. as formerly. My observa- 
tion is that his sufferings have not been so 
much of late as formerly. 

" I esteem Brother Sanders as a high toned ( 
Christian gentleman, a minister of more than 
ordinary ability, and one of the most, compan- 
ionable preachers I have ever known. 

" Yours in best bonds, 

"K T. Power." 

Kev. N. T. Power is one of the most prom- 
inent members of Tennessee Presbytery, and 
no man's veracity is more unquestionable than 
his where he is known. 

Author. 

" Leighton, Lawrence Co., Ala. 

" I first became acquainted with Eev. C. B. 
Sanders in the spring of 1867. From that 
period he spent much of his time for some two 
years, preaching to a congregation (Mt. Pleas- 
ant) in our vicinity, and practicing dentistry in 



118 x + y = z; 

this community, and often was in my family 
for days in succession. I witnessed many of 
his peculiar spells, usually called sleeps, both 
by day and by night, in which he manifested 
remarkable phenomena of seeing, hearing and 
writing in an unnatural way." 

THE SLEEPING PREACHER GIVES DIRECTIONS 
ABOUT A CASE OF SURGERY. 

" In the latter part of the summer of 
186T, Dr. Kumpe performed a surgical opera- 
tion for Miss Matilda Hampton, (my sister,) at 
my house, to prepare her for having a set of 
artificial teeth. 

" One night while the doctor was dressing 
the mouth, Mr. Sanders, in one of his sleeps, told 
me to inform Dr. Kumpe, that he had made a 
mistake ; and that he ought to fix the applica- 
tion right. Upon my reporting to the doctor, 
he examined, and said that he found what Mr. 
Sanders said was true. When this occurred Mr, 
Sanders was in his room down stairs, and Dr. 
Kumpe and my sister in a room up stairs." 



THE SLEEPING PKEACHER. 119 

THE SLEEPING PREACHER TELLS WHERE TO 
LOOK FOR THE LOST DERANGED WOMAN. 

" On another occasion a woman living near 
Lagrange, on the mountain, about seven miles 
distant, in a state of mental derangement, made 
her escape from home ; and after search, no 
information was obtained in regard to her until 
next morning, when a gentleman came to my 
house, and requested me to inquire of Dr. 
Sanders, if he could give any information 
about her. I asked Mr. Sanders if he had 
any memorandum in his book about the case. 
He was then in his normal condition, and it 
was a common thing with him, during the night 
in his spells, to make memorandums of passing 
events in a blank book. He immediately looked 
over his book, and said he found a statement of 
a deranged woman having been at a certain 
house, giving the hour of the night (not now 
recollected,) and that by going there, they could 
get on her track by which they could find her. 

" On the following night, in his sleep, Dr. 



120 x -f- y = z ; 

Sanders told us that the deranged woman was 
found. By nine o'clock the next morning we 
obtained reliable evidence that, acting upon the 
information Dr. Sanders gave, she was traced 
from the house he mentioned, and found, and 
that all he said concerning the case was true." 

THE SLEEPING PREACHER TELLS ABOUT THE 
ATTEMPTED OXEN TRADE. 

" On another occasion a man, by the name 
of Eckerberger, came to my house early one 
morning for the purpose of buying a yoke of 
oxen. I wished to sell a wagon also with them ; 
but as he did not want the wagon, we failed to 
make the trade. I returned to the room where 
Dr. Sanders was lying in bed, in one of his 
sleeps. He immediately asked me why I did 
not make the trade with that ' Ugly bugger ; ' 
thus facetiously naming Mr. Eckerberger. I 
i replied ' you seem to know as much about it as 
I do ; so you can tell why.' He then stated all 
the propositions I made, and the reasons that 
influenced my mind in reference to the matter, 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 121 

which prevented the trade; and I am confident 
no one reported to him the conversation I had 
with Mr. Eckerberger, or even heard it at all. 
"M. B. Hampton." 

" I certify that I was present, and witnessed 
the facts set forth in the foregoing statements 
of my husband, or heard them spoken of by 
him when they occurred, in reference to the 
instances where I was not present. 

"Mrs. M. B. Hampton." 

Captain Hampton is a prominent farmer, 
and a member of the Alabama Legislature. 

THE SLEEPING PREACHER DETECTS A YOUNG 
LADY WRITING TO HER SWEETHEART. 

" Letghton, Ala., June 27th, 1876. 
" Sometime in the year 1867, Kev. C. B. 
Sanders first visited our house ; and for the 
space of twelve months or more was often with 
us for several days in succession. While with 
us, he had many of what are commonly called 
his " sleeping spells," which occurred at irregu- 



122 x + y == z ; 

lar intervals ; sometimes having from one to a 
half dozen or more in the course of twenty-four 
hours, continuing from a few minutes to several 
hours, and even for several days in succession. 
These attacks were evidently involuntary, as he 
would earnestly request us often to keep him 
awake as long as we could. They were at- 
tended also with more or less physical suffer- 
ing ; particularly his head, which always suf- 
fered, as well as his lungs ; sometimes apparently 
suffering but slightly, at other times most 
severely. 

" In some instances in these spells he was 
very social and would speak of things he saw, 
which were invisible to others ; or of what he 
heard at a distance beyond the natural range of 
hearing. 

" Sometimes he would write a great deal in 

the dark, or under the bed cover, and with his 

, eyes heavily bandaged ; also would walk in 

such a case with as much facility as if awake 

and in the light. 

"We could relate a great number of in- 



THE SLEEriNG PREACHER. 123 

stances, in which we witnessed such like exhibi- 
tions of his peculiar, if not unnatural, capacities. 
" On one occasion a young lady boarding 
with us was engaged in writing, in a room 
separated from the one in which Mr. Sanders 
and we were seated by a solid wall without a 
door or other aperture. Mr. Sanders being 
asleep, was observed by us looking intently in 
the direction of the young lady, and laughing. 
He then said, i Just see what that child is 
writing. Now she is underscoring.' And thus 
continued for a time laughing and making 
remarks in regard to the character of the let- 
ter. One of our company went into the room 
and found the young lady w r riting and under- 
scoring as he had described, and it was ascer- 
tained that the cause of his amusement was the 
fact, that she was writing to her sweetheart. 
And when she came into the room where we 
were, he pointed his finger towards her ; and 
she blushing, showed the letter she was writing, 
which was a direct answer to her sweetheart's 
proposal. 



124 x + y = z; 

" When in these sleeps he would sing songs 
most beautifully. If asked when awake to 
sing the same, he would in some cases say, he 
would with pleasure if he knew the words, but 
that he had never seen them." 

HE FINDS A SILVER PENCIL. 

" While sitting in our parlor one day he 
remarked, ' I see something out yonder.' And 
being near an open window, he immediately 
passed out of it, and went to the outer side of 
the yard, and from a pile of rubbish that had 
lain there for years, unearthed a tarnished sil- 
ver pencil. Every circumstance showed that 
it had lain there a long time. 

"J. W. Carter. 

" Mrs. J. W. Carter. 

Daughters. 
"Mrs. Sallie E. King, 
" Miss Alabama Carter, 
" Miss Ella Carter, 

Mr. Carter and family are prominent in the 
Leighton vallev. 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 125 

HE TELLS A YOUNG LADY OF A LETTER SHE 
HAD RECEIVED FROM HER SWEETHEART. 

" Leighton, Ala., June 28th, 1876. 

"In the month of August, 1867, I got a 
letter from the post-office in this place, put it 
in my pocket, and got on the railroad train for 
Mooresville, Alabama. I found Dr. Sanders 
also on the train. After a short time, while 
reading my letter I discovered Dr. Sanders was 
asleep, (for I was familiarly acquainted with 
him) and busily engaged writing on his hand 
with his finger, which he was in the habit of 
doing when he had no paper at hand. 

"When he had finished, he came to my 
seat, which was in the rear of his, and asked 
me in a jocular mood, from whom was my let- 
ter? I declined telling him. He remarked 
that he knew. That X + Y=Z had written a 
copy of it. That it was from Mr. (nam- 
ing in a familiar way Mr. Wooton whom I 
afterwards married). And he made sufficient 
quotations from the letter to fully convince me 



126 x + y = z; 

that he had a correct copy, and he had had no 
way whatever to have ascertained any of its con- 
tents, only his peculiar way of seeing, which 
was common with him in his nervous sleeps. 
" Mrs. Hattie Abernathy Wooton." 

j. w. Buchanan's statements. 

"Winchester, Term., June 19th, 1876. 

" G. W. Mitchell — Dear Sir : — Having 
learned from some of my friends that you are 
writing a history of the life of Brother San- 
ders, I thought I would give you a statement 
of a few things that occurred while he was 
visiting this place in 1874, attending Presby- 
tery ; he was with Dr. Thach, of Mooresville, 
Ala., having been my guest during its ses- 
sions. 

" I, nor any of my family, had been intro- 
duced to him before he came to my house on 
this occasion. 

" The first evening after he arrived, soon 
after tea, he went into an abnormal condition, 
and seemed to suffer intensely, his pulse beat 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 127 

violently, and his skull seemed to part in 
front about one-half inch." 

HE TELLS MR. EUCHANAN OF SOME TROUBLE 
HE HAD. 

" The first thing he said to me was — 
' Brother Buchanan, you were troubled in 
your mind to-day very much about your hands 
— thought they were playing off on you, but was 
not certain ; and therefore you did not say any- 
thing to them about it.' The facts were that way. 

" I had left a lot of several hands at work, 
and went to Dechard, having said nothing to 
them about going. As I returned, one stand- 
ing at the door, gave a whistle, as I supposed 
to warn the others to be at work. Of this 1 
had not said anything to any one. Brother 
Sanders then told me that I had two partners 
in business, and what duties each performed, 
which was also true. This partnership was 
formed but a few days previous, and neither of 
the firm had said anything to him about our 
respective duties." 



128 x + y = z ; 

TELLS ME. BUCHANAN OF HAVING HAD A CON- 
VERSATION ABOUT HIM. 

" He then said, ' Brother Buchanan, you 
had a talk with a friend about me, away off 
from here, and he said to you, " Buchanan, 
you are a man of too much sense to believe 
any such things as these, you are telling me 
about Mr. Sanders." 

" This conversation to which he alluded, I 
had with a friend in "West Tennessee, about 
two years before; and it had almost slipped 
my mind. I had been telling my friend of the 
extraordinary things I had heard about Brother 
Sanders ; and particularly about one occurrence 
that happened with a friend of mine, a man 
whose veracity I could not doubt, which caused 
my friend in West Tennessee to make the 
remark to which Brother Sanders alluded." 

HE TELLS MK. B. OF HIS COVENANT WITH THE 
LOUD. 

" He also said to me, ' Brother Buchanan, 
you have promised the Lord to do a certain 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 129 

tiling, and you have not just exactly, as yet, 
done it,' which was so. 

" I had determined to give a certain per 
cent of my net earnings in business to the cause 
of God ; had from year to year credited the 
amount of net earnings and debited the amounts 
contributed, which did not balance the earn- 
ings. No one, not even my wife, knew any- 
thing about it. I had never told any one about 
donating and keeping an account in that way." 

HE GIVES THE DIAGNOSIS OF MRS. B.'s LUNGS, ETC. 

" He also said to my wife, ' Sister Buchan- 
an, you have been taking medicine for your 
lungs, and it has done you more harm than 
good. You think your lungs are very much 
diseased, but your right lung is perfectly sound. 
Your left has a stoppage of one of the blood- 
vessels; I see its action.' He then appealed to 
Dr. Thack if it was not so ? But then said : 
' You cannot see it, but come and feel her pulse 
and see its irregularity.' 

" I was sitting on the opposite side of the 
G* 



130 x + y = z ; 

room. He said to me to see how fast her pulse 
beats. I timed them by ray watch, and told 
him the number of beats per minute. He said 
1 No. Try again.' I then took very particu- 
lar pains, and reported the number. He re- 
plied ; i that is right.' 

" He then described to us how my wife had 
been afflicted for several years, describing her 
feelings, she said, as well as she could have 
done herself." 

HE TELLS MES. B. ABOUT USING SPECTACLES. 

" Some few weeks before Brother Sanders 
came to my house, my wife's mother gave her, 
as a keepsake, a pair of spectacles her deceased 
brother had been using. My wife tried them, 
and remarked to her mother, ' They seem to 
draw my eyes, or hurt them. I don't think it 
will do for me to use them.' 

" My wife had never used glasses, and no one 
from her appearance would have supposed she 
needed them. Brother Sanders having not heard 
from any of us anything about the case, said ; ' sis- 



THE BLEEPING PREACHER. 131 

ter Buchanan, you are using glasses you think 
don't suit you. My glasses will just suit -you.' 

" She took them and went into another 
room, where no one in the room we were in 
could see her, and picked up a book to read. 
And the very moment she commenced to read, 
(as she said,) he said to her, ' Can't you see a 
good deal better with my glasses % " She an- 
swered that they exactly suited. 

"Brother Sanders and Dr. Thach were 
with us about one week and spent every night 
while here, except one, at my house. I sat up 
a great portion of time with him during the 
nights, and Dr. Thach and other members of 
my family the balance. I do not think he 
slept any sound or natural sleep while with us. 
Dr. Thach was completely worn down and 
became so nervous, he was at last compelled to 
go to his room to sleep. Brother Sanders 
seemed to be fresher and more lively when he 
left than the evening he came. 

■" I am not a member of your church, but 
of the Presbyterian church. Yours, etc., 

" J. W. Buchanan." 



132 x + y 



HE COMMENTS ON READINGS OF THE SCRIPTURES 
IN FRENCH. 

' ' Winchestek, Tenn., Jan. 25th, 1876. 

" Rev. Jas. Campbell — Dear Brother : — I 
have read the letter of Brother Gr. W. Mitchell 
addressed to you, requesting a statement from 
me of the phenomena exhibited by Brother 
Sanders at my home, during his visit, while the 
Tennessee Presbytery was in session at Win- 
chester, in the spring of 1874. 

u The session was considerably advanced 
at the time of his visit; and as he had been 
actively participating in its labors, he was much 
fatigued. His visit was after service at night. 
Soon after his arrival he fell into a clairvoyant 
state (if that be the proper term to describe it). 
Without entering in to details, it is enough to 
say, he seemed to be oblivious of anything 
transpiring around him, except all matters per- 
taining to religion. 

" It was said by some one present that 
he had the power to comprehend any foreign 



THE SLEEPING PREACIIER 133 

tongue while in that condition. I was requested 
to read a chapter from my French Bible in his 
hearing, for the purpose of testing his ability 
to comprehend it. 

"I selected parts of several chapters from 
the New Testament; and while I read he 
manifested the clearest conception of every 
part by the most apposite commentary upon 
the several texts. 

" I was informed at the time by others, and 
subsequently by Brother Sanders, that he had 
no knowledge of the French language. It is 
proper to add that there was nothing in the 
pronunciation of the words in French which 
could suggest the sense to an English scholar. 

" Other unusual phenomena occurred the 
same evening, but not sufficiently remarkable 
to warrant an express mention. 

" I suppose this comprehends all you desire 
from me on the subject. 

" Very respectfully and truly 
Your Friend, 
" (Mrs.) Novella Marks." 



134 x + y = z ; 

Mrs. Marks is the wife of Chancellor * 

Marks, and has reputation for scholarly attain- 
ments, as well as purity of christian character. 

HE REPORTS A SERMON PREACHED BY REV. G. 
W. MITCHELL. 

" On Tuesday night after the fourth Sab- 
bath of September, 1873, I heard Kev. G. W. 
Mitchell preach a sermon in Meridian ville, Ala- 
bama, at the close of the meeting of Tennessee 
Presbytery, from these words : ' In whom ye 
also trusted after that ye heard the word of 
truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom 
also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with 
that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the 
earnest of our inheritance until the redemption 
of the purchased possession, unto the praise of 
his glory.' Eph. I: 13, 14. 

" The divisions of the subject and the manner 
of treating them were so clear and perspicuous 
that they made a deep and abiding impression 
upon my mind, not made by common sermons. 

l( I did not see Brother Sanders afterwards, 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 135 

nor hear any one speak of the sermon until 
about the 1st of November, when I met him 
in the town of Madison at the house of Mr. W. 
B. Johnston. In a conversation with Brother 
Sanders, I referred to the sermon above men- 
tioned. He said, ' I have it.' And took from 
his pocket a memorandum book from which he 
read the divisions and subdivisions of that ser- 
mon, as well as I could recollect them, precisely 
as Mitchell had preached them on that occasion. 
" Sanders having left the meeting before 
Mitchell preached the sermon, I asked him 
where he had seen him to get those notes? He 
in a smiling humor replied that he had not 
seen Brother Mitchell since he preached the 
sermon, nor had he heard any one mention the 
subject. He added X + Y=Z had furnished him 
the copy. I did not understand whom he meant 

until he explained it. 

"M. H. Bone." 
Maysville, Ala., Sept. 7th, 1876. 

" I had not seen Brother Sanders from the 
time he left the meeting referred to in the 



13G x + i = z; 

above, at Meridian ville, until after the inter- 
view he had with Rev. M. H. Bone at Madison, 
nor had I any communication with him. I had 
never furnished a copy of the division and sub- 
divisions of that sermon to any one whatever; 
I had never written them even for my own use. 
"G. W. Mitchell." 

HE COPIES A LETTER FROM MR. MITCHELL BE- 
FORE HE GOT IT. 

" On Wednesday, the 29th day of March, 
1876, I wrote and mailed in Athens, Alabama, 
a letter to Rev. C. B. Sanders, directed to 
Brownsboro, Alabama, a railroad village eleven 
miles east of Huntsville, and one and three- 
quarter miles from Maysville, the residence 
of Mr. Sanders. On the 31st, I received in 
Athens by mail a letter dated the 30th, in 
answer to mine of the 29th, signed, ' X+T=Z,' 
the peculiar and invariable signature of Mr. 
Sanders when in his nervous sleeps. In this 
answer he commences by saying, ' Since your 
letter of the 29th inst. has passed me, and by 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 137 

a copy of it I see your intentions, I will not 
look for you before Saturday,' etc., etc. 

"On Saturday, the 1st day of April, I went 
per rail to Brownsboro, arriving there about 
four o'clock, p. m. About half past five o'clock 
Mr. Sanders, with conveyance, came to take 
me home with him. He stepped into the post- 
office, got his mail and immediately came into 
Mr. Gilliam's store, just across the road. Mr. 
Gilliam and Mr. Sanford, railroad and tele- 
graph agent, were present. Before he took his 
seat, Mr. Sanders, looking over his lot of several 
letters, remarked ' Brother Mitchell, you might 
as well have brought this letter with you in 
your pocket.' I asked him if it was the last 
one I wrote to him. He, opening the letter by 
pinching off the end of the envelope, replied, ' I 
don't know whether it is the last you wrote or 
not ; but it is the one written on the 29th.' I 
simply replied, i I have gotten an answer to the 
last one any how.' 

"In a short time we reached his house, 
when he at once called for a light (the evening 



138 x + Y = z ; 

being cloudy and dusky), and remarked, ' I 
have a copy of your letter I got this evening, 
written by X + Y=Z, and I am anxious to 
compare them.' He brought the copy and we 
compared it with the letter and found in it no 
variation from the original letter. 

" In the paper, on which the copy is writ- 
ten, is the following prefix to the copy, viz., 
1 Rural Hill, 30 day, 3 mo. 2 o'c. 41 m. a. m. 
The following letter from Eev. Mr. Mitchell of 
Athens to My Casket gone by. X+Y=Z.' 
Then followed the copy. 

"G. W. Mitchell." 

" In regard to the facts above stated of Mr. 
Sanders opening his letter from Mr. Mitchell, 
and the accompanying remarks by him and 
Mr. Mitchell in reference to their correspondence, 
I certify that I witnessed the same ; and unhesi- 
tatingly affirm that the above statements are true. 
" S. W. Sanford." 
Brown sboro, Ala., April 4th, 1876. 

" I witnessed all the above, but the remark 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 139 

of Mr. Mitchell, ' that he had received an an- 
swer/ etc. 

« R. L. Gilliam." 
Brownsboro, April 4tli, 1876. 

" We, citizens of Madison County, Ala., cer- 
tify that, being in the village of Maysville, in 
said county, on the 3d day of April, 1876, 
we carefully compared the letter written by 
Eev. G. W. Mitchell at Athens, Ala,, dated 
March 29th, 1876, to Eev. C. B. Sanders, 
Erownsboro, Ala., and the copy of the same 
signed X + Y = Z, which purports to have 
been written at ' Eural Hill,' (the name by 
which Eev. C. B. Sanders designates his resi- 
dence in the immediate vicinity of Maysville,) 
dated March 30th, 1876, at 2 o'c. 41 min. a. m., 
and found that the copy in its dates, words, 
and all its sectional divisions, exactly corre- 
sponded with the original. And we further 
declare, from our personal knowledge of Eev. 
C. B. Sanders and Eev. G. W. Mitchell, that 



140 x + y *= z ; 

we have the fullest confidence in their ve- 
racity. 

" B. F. Lawlee, 
"A. F. Blaie, 
u Jehu Lawlee, 
" L. F. Lambeeson." 
The original papers are preserved by the 
author. 

he tells eev. me. tinnon how he used a paet 

of an old speech in a sermon. 

" Huntsville, Ala., July 31st, 1876. 

" Dear Brother Mitchell : — Enclosed please 
find the statement desired of me in your letter. 

" About the second week in October, 
1875, I was absent from home until Friday 
night. 

" On Saturday, while hastily preparing a 
sermon, I remembered that I had treated the 
subject I was then considering, in a speech 
delivered about live years before. This speech 
was filed away in an old box with a sliding lid. 
I took it out, found the part I desired to use, 
and fitted it into my sermon almost without 



THE SLEEPING TKEACIIEK. 141 

change. I made no mention of the fact to 
any one. 

« On the night of April the 24th, 1876, I 
was with Eev. C. B. Sanders and yourself at 
the house of Rev. James Campbell in Winches- 
ter, Tennessee. Sanders was in his 'peculiar 
sleep,' so called. 

"Among other things, he told me of the 
circumstance narrated above. Told it just as 
it happened, with all its details, and expressed 
himself as * being considerably amused at the 
ingenuity I evinced, in dovetailing that old 
speech into a sermon.' 

" I need not add that I was astonished at 
his knowledge of this fact ; for I had not men- 
tioned it, even to my wife. 

" E. M. Tinnon." 

" I heard Sanders make the statements to 
Brother Tinnon which he has given above. 
Mr. Tinnon is pastor of the Cumberland Pres- 
byterian Church in the city of Huntsville, and 
highly esteemed by all who know him. 

" G. W. Mitchell." 



CHAPTEE VI. 

Pruit's Testimony of Character. — Esquire Bently's lost 
Keys. — Dr. Shelby's Statement. — Tells the Time. — 
Statement by Thach and White. — Finding Money. — 
Statement by Dr. McDonnold. — Diagnosis. — State- 
ment by Dr. Metcalf. — A riotous Man. — Statements 
by Rev. J. Campbell. — Finding a Nickel. — A Man's 
History. — Thach and White's Statement. — Shooting 
in the Dark. — Statement by F. H. Peebles. — Finding 
Money. — Certificate of Mr. Crosno and Others. — Coin 
dropped from the Train. — Dr. Cowan's Certificate. 

J. w. pettit's testimony of character, etc. 
" My acquaintance with Rev. C. B. Sanders 
commenced more than twenty years since, at a 
revival meeting at Union Chapel Church (sit- 
uated about fourteen miles, a few miles north 
of west, from Huntsville), where and when I 
witnessed his religious conversion. From this 
time I have known a great deal of his history 
as a man, as a christian minister, and as the 
subject of remarkable physical afflictions, and 
also of wonderful mental phenomena. 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 143 

" He has uniformly maintained the reputa- 
tion of an upright and every way a worthy 
citizen of strict morals and unblemished reli- 
gious, and ministerial character. 

" "With the exception of a few years, which 
he spent at Athens and Mooresville in an 
adjoining county, he has lived from his birth 
in this county ; several years a near neighbor 
to- me, and always within the distance of twelve 
miles. For a number of years, he was the pas- 
tor of the church in this village, of the session 
of which I was then, and still am a member. 

a I have, in many instances, while in his 
peculiar spells, seen him (with pencil) write 
compositions of various kinds, and various 
lengths ; performing the same under the bed- 
clothes drawn up to his chin sometimes, with 
his eyes closed, or, as at other times with them 
bandaged, or covered with wet towels, which 
were thus applied to mitigate their suffering. 

" I have heard him, in these spells, talk on 
various topics with more than his ordinary in- 
telligence ; sing beautifully and with a peculiar 



144: x + y = z ; 

tenderness and pathos ; pray most fervently ; 
and preach with remarkable brilliancy of 
thought and sublimity of expression. And 
I know that these things, which were of fre- 
quent occurrence, were witnessed by scores, and 
some of them by even hundreds of persons, 
through the course of from fifteen to twenty 
years. 

" Many of my neighbors have told me, from 

time to time, of remarkable developments he had 

made to them, of the truth of which they had 

the most unquestionably satisfactory evidence 

"J. W. Pruit." 

Memdianville, Madison, Co., Ala., June 7th, 1876. 

THE SLEEPING MAN FINDS ESQE. BENTLEY's KEYS 

"State op Ala., Madison Co., 

Meridianville, May 10th, 1876. 

" In 1867, I lived two and a half miles east 
of this village, on what is known as the Harris 
place, on the other side of Brier Fork Creek ; 
and was engaged in selling goods in this place, 
spending the nights at home. 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 145 

"Some time during the summer a bunch of 
keys, among which was my wheat-garner key, 
was lost. After a lapse of about one week, I 
requested Mr. ¥m. White, who was employed 
in the store, and boarded at Rev. C. B. Sanders' 
in the village, on going to his dinner, to ask 
him to tell me where my keys were. On his 
return Mr. White said, he made the request ; 
but Mr. Sanders paid no attention to what he 
said, he being in one of his spells. However, 
during the same afternoon, while my younger 
sister, in company with other persons, was at 
his house, he told her that my keys were under 
the steps at the west door of my dwelling. 
In consequence of this information I returned 
home earlier than usual. As soon as I arrived, 
I told my wife what I had heard. She ran 
immediately and found the keys under the 
door-step, just as Mr. Sanders had said ; and 
somewhat rusty. They must have been thrown 
there a week before by a little child that played 
about the house. 

" I add that I know Mr. Sanders had not 



146 x + y = z ; 

been in my house, nor on the place for at least 
twelve months before that time. 

"A. J. Bentley." 

" We, the undersigned, certify that the 
above statements are true, as far as they relate 
to us personally ; and that we heard all the 
particulars, as above mentioned, at the time 
they occurred. 

" Mrs. Josephine E. Bentley. 

"Miss Mary A. Bentley." 

THE SLEEPING MAN TELLS THE TIME BY WATCH 
AND CLOCK WITH EYES CLOSED. REPORTED 
BY D. SHELBY, M. D. 

" Near Huntsville, Ala., June 9th, 1876. 

" Rev. G. W. Mitchell — Dear Sir : — In 
compliance with your request, I make the fol- 
lowing statement in reference to the Rev. C. 
B. Sanders. 

" I have known him from early boyhood. 
He has always had reputation as an upright, 
moral man, and a good citizen. 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 147 

" Some time before the war, he became 
somnambulic, and partially clairvoyant. In 
the somnambulic state, often, he would talk 
in the most beautiful and eloquent style, ex- 
hibiting a vigor, range, depth and grasp of 
thought truly wonderful. 

" On one occasion, while in the somnolent 
condition, I knew him to tell the precise 
time by his watch with his eyes closed. In 
order to test farther his clairvoyant power, I 
asked the time by the clock in the adjoining 
room. He raised his head as if looking in the 
proper direction, but eyes shut, and answered 
quickly. I stepped to the door four or five 
feet distant, and found that he was correct in 
his statement. A plastered wall intervened. 

" Other facts of like kind have occurred in 
my presence, but are not sufficientlv well re- 
membered now to relate them with accuracy. 
" Very Respectfully, 

"D. Shelby." 

'" Mooresville, Ala., June 12th, 1876. 
"We certify, that sometime during the year 



t48 x + y = z ; 

1875, one night before we retired to bed, Dr. 
Sanders in one of his sleeps said to us, ' I see 
some money down yonder, I believe I will go 
and get it. If you wish you all may go with me.' 
We asked where it was ? He replied, ' It is on 
the bank of the creek, below the bend, and near 
what yon call " the widow's hole ; " it is a ten 
dollar bill.' 

" We set out at once, and on reaching the 
place, we saw him pick up a bill of money, 
folded up, as, he said, ' It fell out of a man's 
vest pocket. The rascal who dropped it, stole 
it.' We then returned back to our room, and 
upon unfolding it, we found it was a ten dol- 
lar bill. 

" From the time he arrived at the village 
on Saturday evening, until this event, except 
what time we slept that night, we were with 
Mr. Sanders, and know that he was not near 
the place where he found the money, which 
was about one mile distant. 

" Within a short time of the above occur- 
rence, in one of his sleeps, he said to us one 



THE SLEEPING PREA.CHEK. 149 

night; * I see a five dollar bill in the road near 
Mr. K. H. Hafley's.' 

" It was lost by a man on his leaving town 
this evening, who had been dunned for his 
church subscription ; and who lied, saying " I . 
have no money." Let's go and get it.' We 
immediately proceeded to the place, about one- 
half mile distant, and found the money as he 
had described it. 

" In the month of February also the same 
year, from eight to nine o'clock one night, in 
one of his spells, he remarked to us : 'I see 
a half dollar. Let's go and get it.' We asked 
him where? He replied: 'In a lot on the 
other side of the brick house.' We then started 
in company with him, without a light, it being 
a dark night, to go and get it. When about 
half the distance, he remarked : ' I have made 
a mistake. It is a dollar instead of a half.' 

"When we reached the place he stooped 
down by the fence, putting his hand through 
the crack, and removing a little dirt, brought 
out the dollar and handed it to one of us. 



150 x + y = z ; 

" On the way back, the distance being 
about two hundred and fifty yards, he told us 
the date on the dollar. When we reached the 
house, on a close examination, we found the 
date as he said. The dollar had evidently lain 
a long time buried, being corroded and quite 
black on the side bearing the date, obscuring it, 
so that it was almost invisible. 

" After a careful examination of the coin it 
was laid on the mantel piece in the room where 
he first made the announcement. 

" Wm. S. White. 
" W. T. Thach." 

" On the next morning, while I (White) 
was on the way with him to the railroad depot, 
when one and a half miles distant from the 
house, being asleep, he said to me : ' White, the 
girl who was cleaning up the room, has taken 
your dollar and hid it under the old house in 
the yard, near the second pillar on the west 
side. If she does not move it, you may find it, 
on your return, by searching.' When I got 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 151 

back, I looked for it as he directed, but did not 
find it. I then asked the girl about it ; but 
she denied knowing anything about it. I then 
told her, it made no difference whether she 
owned it or not ; that she could not put it any- 
where but I could find it. So the matter 
rested for two weeks, when Mr. Sanders re- 
turned to preach at his next appointment. 

" On Sabbath night after preaching, having 
returned to his room, he fell asleep, and imme- 
diately said to me : < Yonder is your money. 
Why did you not get it, as I told you ? ' I 
asked him where? He said: l under the old 
house.' He got up at once and started for it, 
I following ; when we got to the house, he 
stooped down by the pillar that he had men- 
tioned, reached his hand under the house, and 
brought out the dollar, and handed it to me. 
"Wm. S. White." 

HE MAKES A LITHIC DIAGNOSIS. 

" Stockton, California, June 26th, 1876. 
" Dear Brother Mitchell : — Your letter is 



152 x + y = z; 

at hand. I am too busy to write a full answer. 
Dr. Sanders, while ih his trance at Doct. 
Thach's, spoke of a stone in my bladder, a thing 
I had long believed, but had never mentioned. 
" The literary and practical quotations of the 
sleeping man impressed me as wonderful. 
" Yours in Christ, 

" B. W. McDonnold." 

Eev. B. W. McDonnold, D.D., LL.D., was 

for a number of years the honored President 
of Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tennessee, 
and is an eminent minister of the gospel. 

Letter from Lewis Metcalf, M. D. 

HE TELLS OF A MAN " SPEEEING " ON THE 
SQUARE IN WINCHESTER. 
" Winchestee, Term., July 17th, 1876. 

"Eev. G. W. Mitchell: Dear Sir :— Mr. 
Campbell, of this place, tells me that you are 
collecting all well authenticated cases of such 
preternatural manifestations of Rev. San- 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 153 

ders as may be of interest to the public, and 
that yon wish to know what I have seen of 
him. 

li I never saw Mr. S. in his peculiar modes 
of mind but once. I think, in the year 1866, 
he was in this place at the house of 'N. Friz- 
zell, Esq. 

" I entered the room in which he was lying 
— or propped up in bed. As I entered he placed 
his hands to his head, (then with a thick folded 
bandage over his eyes,) and said : ' Pallida 
mors pulsat Eqxto pede pauperumque,' — and 
stopped. I told him to finish the sentence, (I 
suppose a quotation from Horace,) but he said 
no more ; but soon complained very much of 
his head and chest. He was then moved into 
another room, on another bed. I gave him a 
ladies' album turned upside down. He with 
the bandage over his eyes, turned to look at the 
wall and remarked, 'It is a pity for a man to 
throw himself away, as that man is doing : 
especially a man who can be of such use to 
society as he can.' 



154 x + y == z; 

"He was asked of whom he was speaking? 
He replied, ' The man down at the public 
square, drunk and making such a disturbance.' 

" This was over two hundred yards from 
the square, and the drunken man was unheard 
by any of us present. It was about ten o'clock 
at night. Upon inquiry made by us, in regard 
to the person alluded to, we learned that a man 
of prominence and ability, who had served with 
distinction in the Confederate army, was on a 
spree at the time, on the square in Winchester. 

" The above facts are about all that I know, 
of my own knowledge, in relation to Mr. San- 
ders. If you think they are of sufficient import- 
ance, you can make such use of them as you 
see fit. I was never in his company before nor 
since. Had no accfuaintance with him, except 
from reputation. I always considered him a 
character to be studied by scientific men. I 
.^am glad that it is to be brought before the 
notice of the public with his consent. 
" Yery Respectfully, 

" Lewis Metcalf." 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 155 

HE FINDS A NICKEL AT ESQ. MURRELl's. 

" During a protracted meeting in Harmony 
congregation, about eight or nine miles from 
Winchester, Franklin County, Tenn., embrac- 
ing the first Sabbath in November, 1872, I had 
the assistance of Rev. N. T. Power, and Rev. C. 
B. Sanders. 1 spent the night of the tenth or 
eleventh day in company with Brother Sanders 
at Brother Esquire Murrell's. Brother Sanders 
being much exhausted from the labors of the 
meeting, went into one of his sleeps at about 
ten or eleven o'clock, the family having gone to 
bed, except Miss Sue E. Murrell and Miss Clara 
H. Decherd. Brother Sanders was suffering 
with his head beyond description. 

" While the young ladies were trying to 
relieve his sufferings, he told them, some one 
had lost something out in the lot ; though of 
but little value, it ought to be cared for. I 
asked him what was lost ? He answered, ' A 
nickel.' 

" Having heard often of his finding things 



156 x + y = z; 

in the dark, I requested him to go at once and 
get it. 

" He immediately started ; and at his re- 
quest we all went with him. While on the 
way, a thin cloud was passing over the moon, 
and my faith not being strong enough to 
believe that he could find it in the dark, I 
requested him to return into the house ; telling 
him that there was no nickel there. He re- 
plied, ' I know it is not here, but it is in the 
lot.' On entering the lot, he was walking very 
fast. I said to the ladies, ' Let us keep close 
to him, so we can see him pick it up.' With 
an effort we did so ; and to our great astonish- 
ment, without seeming to look for it, he sud- 
denly stopped and commenced stooping, with 
his arm extended ; in the range of which with 
the light of the moon, I saw the nickel when 
his hand was six or seven inches from it. He 
picked it up, handed it to me, returned to the 
house, entered by the same door, and sat down 
on the same chair he left. On the next morn- 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 157 

ing I found the distance to where we picked 
up the nickel was forty-nine steps." 

HE GIVES THE HISTORY OF CAPTAIN BILLY 
MURRELL. 

" Captain Billy Mnrrell was one of the first 
elders of Harmony congregation of the Cum- 
berland Presbyterian Church, and died a year or 
two after the war. I understand Brother San- 
ders had no acquaintance with him ; and it is 
probable never saw him, ; — but he gave a better 
history of him than I could have done, though 
I had been intimately acquainted with him from 

his boyhood. 

"Jas. Campbell." 
"Attested by 

" Sue. E. Mitrrell. 
" Clara H. Decherd." 

" Brother Sanders said and did many other 
things, as mysterious to us as finding the nickel, 
but this 1 suppose will be sufficient from me. 
" Jas. Campbell." 



158 x + y = z ; 

Rev. Mr. Campbell has long lived in Win- 
chester, Tennessee ; is a minister of much expe- 
rience, and is extensively and favorably known. 

HE SHOOTS DR. THACH's HAT IN" THE NIGHT. 

" On one occasion while Rev. C. B. Sanders 
was living in Mooresville, I went to his house 
just across the street, and found him in that 
condition peculiar to himself. 

" He remarked to me that there was a large 
flock of wild turkeys roosting, about two miles 
distant, in the woods, and that, if he were there 
with a rifle, he could kill some of them. It 
was a starlight night. I told him that he 
could not see to kill them, as it was too dark. 
He said he could knock either one of their eyes 
out. I then told him that he could not hit my 
hat. He said if I would get a rifle he would 
convince me. 

" I went home, loaded my rifle, and carried 
it over to him. We then went about a hundred 
yards from the house, Mr. W. S. White being 
present. I left them standing, and went about 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 159 

forty yards, and placed my hat against a stump. 

He tired, and the ball passed through the hat 

very near the centre. 

a I took the gun and attempted to look 

through the sights, but could not see them 

at all. 

" W. T. Thach." 

" I certify that the above statement is en- 
tirely correct. 

" W. S. White." 

HIS CAPACITY AS A " MARKSMAN." 

" One dark night in the fall of 1866, in the 
village of Meridianville, he remarked to me at 
his house, ' There are some fine wild ducks in 
the big spring branch. Let's go and shoot 
some of them.' 

tl He at once took his rifle and repaired to 
the spring, a distance of about three-fourths oi 
a mile. 

""When near the spring, to screen himself 
from the ducks, he stooped as he walked behind 
the fence. When he reached the desired point, 



160 x + y = z; 

he took aim and fired. I asked him at once, 
what he had done ? He replied, ' I have killed 
one duck.' 

" The ducks must have been seventy-five 
yards from where he fired. The water was 
shaded by a thick cluster of trees, which made 
it so dark that I could not see the ducks, even 
when they flew up at the crack of the gun. 
We then went to the water and found sure 
enough that he had killed one of the ducks. 
"W. S. White." 

Mooresville, Ala. , June 22d, 1876. 

HE FINDS A DOLLAR BILL IN THE NIGHT AT 
MOORESVILLE. 
" Mooresville, Ala., June 12th, 1876. 

" Kev. G. W. Mitchell : My Dear Sir :— In 
reply to your inquiry with reference to Dr. C. 
B. Sanders, I take pleasure in stating the fol- 
lowing facts : 

" About six weeks ago, while in this place 
attending one of his regular appointments as 
our pastor, he spent Saturday night at our 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 161 

home. He retired to his room about nine 
o'clock, p. m. We learned on the next morn- 
ing, from the servant who attended his room, 
that his bed was unoccupied the night before : 
from which fact we were aware that he had 
spent an uncomfortable, and probably, a sleep- 
less night. We requested Dr. Thach, our 
family physician, and Dr. Sanders' warm friend 
and careful nurse on very man} 7 previous occa- 
sions, to stay with him through the next night. 
Dr. Sanders had preached that night, and as 
usual after preaching, suffered intense pain in 
his head and lungs. His breathing at times 
seemed labored, and the opening of his skull, 
just over his forehead, was very marked. 
While in his unnatural sleep he said he saw a 
dollar bill ; describing it, and telling where it 
was. After some delay Dr. Thach and I pro- 
cured candles and proceeded to follow Dr. San- 
ders to the place where he said the bill was, it 
being between a quarter and a half mile distant. 
" He did not go very near the spot; but 
marked off" (with our assistance,) a plot of 



162 x + y - z; 

ground, within the limits of which, he assured 
us we would find the bill. So we lighted our 
candies, and began our search; Dr. Sanders 
remaining at some distance from us during the 
entire time. The grass was out, and made it 
harder for us to find the bill. Dr. Thach first 
discovered it, and called me to see it, before 
moving it from the ground. Just as Dr. 
Sanders had told us, it was lying near the 
road and folded ; and answered his descrip- 
tion otherwise. 

" I had always been partially skeptical in 
regard to the many strange things of this kind 
it was said he had done ; while I never doubted 
the sincerity, nor warm, devotional, Christian 
spirit of this unfortunate, afflicted child of God. 
On this occasion I was fully convinced that he, 
by some mysterious means, was given the 
capacity to see objects in the distance, and in 
the dark ; and things invisible to the eye of 
any man, not unnaturally gifted, or strangely 
afflicted 

" I take pleasure in saying there was no 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 163 

reason, in the above case, to doubt the genuine- 
ness of that discovery ; or to attribute to Dr. 
Sanders the slightest insincerity. 

"Very truly and respectfully, 

"F. H. Peebles." 

HE SEES A MAN DROP A COIN FROM THE CAR AS 
IT WAS PASSING-. 

" In the town of Tullahoma, Moore County, 
Tennessee, at about half past eleven o'clock, 
p. m., while in Mr. M. H. Crosno's house, we 
having just returned together from religious 
services at church, Rev. C. B. Sanders being 
one of the company, and in one of his nervous 
sleeps, as the passenger train for Chattanooga 
was passing by, Dr. Sanders commenced de- 
scribing to Dr. Cowan the physical condition 
of a gentleman passenger, who, he said, was 
suffering with a disease of the heart ; when he 
suddenly changed the subject of conversation, 
by remarking, ' There ! that man dropped a sil- 
ver coin.' When asked who, he said, ' A man 
on the platform of the car, wearing a cap.' 



164: x + y = z; 

He was asked what sort of a coin, he said, 
4 It is a well worn silver coin, with an adver- 
tisement on one side. There it lies with the 
advertisement up.' 

" He was asked where the man was from ? 

" He replied, ' From a paper in his pocket, 
he is from New York.' 

" Some one proposed to him to go and 
get it. 

" He said he would go with us, and desig- 
nate certain limits, where we might search, and 
find it. 

" It was a moonless night. We took a lan- 
tern and followed him to the railroad track, 
two blocks distant. He stopped when about 
forty feet from the track, and designated a space 
along the track of thirty or forty feet in extent, 
and said : ' Within that space, on the near side, 
and close to the track, you will find it.' 

' ; The search was commenced, and in a short 
time Dr. Cowan said ; ' Here it is? 

" We ail examined it, before it was picked 
up, and it was, as Dr. Sanders had described, 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 165 

lying with the side, on which was the advertise- 
ment, uppermost. 

" This coin is worn smooth, and seems to 
be an old fashioned Spanish quarter of a dollar. 
On one side, in Roman letters is the following. 

Jas. S. Bradley, 

Gilder & Frame 

Maker, 

154 Wm. St. N. Y. 

Cheapest in the City. 

" In the last line, the first letter ' C,' and the 
last, ' Y,' are only partly visible for want of room. 
" We whose names are hereunto subscribed, 
certify that we were present and witnessed all 
the above mentioned facts, and that the forego- 
ing statements are true in every particular. 
" M. H. Crosno. 
"J. B. Cowan, M.D. 
" Mrs. L. J. Crosno. 
" J. M. Cowan." 

" I hereby certify that on the 17th of April, 
above written, I was in company with Rev. C 
B. Sanders during mo6t of the afternoon, and 



166 x + y = z; 

remained in company with him continuously 
from the middle of the afternoon until after the 
incident above mentioned ; and that I know, to 
my certain knowledge, that he had not been 
near the place at which the coin was found. 

" And I have no hesitancy in saying, from 
my knowledge of his character as a Christian 
gentleman, founded on personal acquaintance, 
and reputation maintained for many years of 
purity of life, among the best men of the coun- 
try, that he could not be induced to practice a 
deception. 1 do not feel that this statement 
will be of service to Dr. Sanders among those 
who know him ; but I feel like adding my tes- 
timony to the truth, so that the truth may be 
established by many witnesses. 

" J. B. Cowan, M.D." 

In closing this chapter we would add that 
the cases reported therein, so varied in their 
incidents, yet all illustrating the same general 
facts, i. e., the preternatural powers of ' the 
sleeping preacher,' or <X + Y=Z,' are many of 



THE SLEEPING TREACHER. 167 

them of such a nature, and so fully attested, 
that they need no further comment or explana- 
tion. The witnesses in chief, or corroborating, 
are all of the most reliable character, and some 
of great eminence and extensive reputation, and 
in general past the meridian of life. 

I addressed a note of inquiry to Mr. Brad- 
ley about the coin found in Tullahoma. In 
reply I received the following, dated June 
14th, 1876 : 

" Dear Sir : — The coin you write of was 
issued by us, about twentj 7 years ago, as a token 
for twenty-live cents, I believe ; and it there- 
fore woula* be utterly impossible to trace the 
owner in this instance 
" Yours, etc., 

"J. S. Bradley. 
No. 7 Liberty St., New York." 

Should the individual who lost the coin see 
this, I respectfully request him to address me at 
this place, Athens, Ala. 

"Rev. G. W. Mitchell." 



CHAPTEK VII. 

Officers of Ewing Chapel. — Testimony of Character. — 
Conversation "Reported. — Gold Coin found in Mays- 
ville. — Mrs. Smith Scalded. — A Sermon Reported. — 
Dr. Ross' Statement. — Reflections by Rev. H. R. 
Smith. — X + Y=Z gives Notice of his Departure. — 
His Valedictory. — Various Opinions of the Cause and 
Nature of his Phenomena. — Opinion of X + Y=Z. — 
His Illustrations. — Sanders' Experience since X + Y 
=Z left.— The Close. 

TESTIMONIAL OF CHARACTER BY OFFICERS OF 
EWING CHAPEL CHURCH. 

"Maysyille, Ala., April 3d, 1876. 

"To all whom it may concern. 

" We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, 
being elders and deacons of Ewing Chapel con- 
gregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian 
Church in this place, certify : 

" 1st. That we are intimately acquainted 
with Rev. C. B. Sanders (widely known as the 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 169 

i Sleeping Preacher,') and that he is, and for 
the past seven years has been the pastor of 
our church. 

" 2d. That we have entire confidence in his 
integrity, veracity, and piety. 

" 3d. That his ministerial labors among us 
have been greatly blessed in the salvation of 
many souls ; and the increase of the church in 
members and piety. That in view of these 
facts, though he has at different times, pro- 
posed to be released from his connection with 
us, as our pastor, we have steadily declined 
giving our consent. 

" 4th. That he is highly respected by our com- 
munity, and tenderly loved by our congregation. 
" And lastly ; That he has resided in our 
midst now for six years. 

"fflders.—J. S. Blair, M. D. 
u L. F. Lamberson, 
" A. F. Blair, M. D. 
"B. F. Lawler. 
" Deacons. — J. F. Morrow, 
«S. W. Sanford." 



170 x + y = z; 

HE RECORDS A CONVERSATION AT A DISTANCE OF 
ABOUT SEVENTY-FIVE MILES. 

"Maysville, Ala., April 3d, 1876. 
" We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, 
certify that, on the 18th of January, at about 
nine to ten o'clock, p. m., we, in company with 
some other gentlemen, were engaged in a pri- 
vate and confidential conversation, on Shoal 
Creek, in Lauderdale County, Ala. On our 
return home during the next week, Rev. C. B. 
Sanders informed us that he had a written copy 
(by X + Y=Z,) of that special conversation ; 
which we found to be true, stating the time, the 
place, the topics, and the individuals who were 
engaged in it. And we feel snre that none of 
our company did in any way communicate the 
facts to Rev. C. B. Sanders ; nor could they 
have done it, there being no opportunity, even 
if they had been so disposed. 

"L. F. Lamberson. 

"A. F. Blair. 

"John La-wler." 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 171 

" I certify that Mr. Sanders was at home, 
in Maysville, Madison County, Ala., on the 
night of the 18th of January, 1876. 

" B. F. Lawler." 

" I add that I was at Maysville from Friday 
the 14th to Friday the 21st of January, 1876, 
and spent Tuesday night, the 18th of that 
month, at Mr. Sanders' house. That he was 
asleep, and engaged most of the time in writ- 
ing, until between ten and eleven o'clock that 
night, and he and I were together clay and 
night continuously from that time, until the 
24th day of the month." 

The above reported conversation took place 
in a room in the residence of Mrs. Munn, living 
about eight miles northeast from Florence, Lau- 
derdale County, Ala., and about seventy-five 
miles distant from Maysville. The gentle- 
men engaged in the conversation were mem- 
bers of a chartered mining company, and 
were there prospecting for minerals. And 
in that conversation talked mainly about 



172 x + y = z ; • 

Mr. Sanders' capacity to find minerals or other 

things. 

G. W. Mitchell." 



HE TELLS WHERE A GOLD COIN IS, IN THE 
NIGHT, IN MAYSVILLE. 

" On the night of the 3d of April, 1876, 1 
was sitting with Mr. Sanders and his family in 
his own house, in Maysville. He was suffer- 
ing considerably, as was peculiar to him, when 
he fell into one of his nervous sleeps. He wrote 
a note, folded and directed it to Mr. B. F. Law- 
ler, a near neighbor, and handed it to me, with 
the request that I should deliver it to Mr. L. 
Accompanied by his son Willie, a twelve year 
old lad, I gave it to Mr. L. at his own house. 
In a few minutes he, his wife and Miss Lou. 
Daniel went with me to Mr. Sanders'. When 
we got there, he was writing, and so continued 
for one hour or more ; and after repeated trials 
we could not arrest his attention. Between 
nine and ten o'clock, he suddenly turn eel, and 
looking behind him said : i I see a two and a 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 173 

half dollar piece of gold lying in the road near 
Mr. Daniel's.' After some conversation in 
reference to getting it, he went with Mr. Law- 
ler and myself, to the place, and designated a 
space of about thirty steps along the road, and 
from the wagon rut, near the centre, to the 
right hand side of the lane, a strip of ground 
about twelve feet wide, as the limits, within 
which he said : ' It is lying on the surface easily 
to be seen.' Beyond this he would give us no 
further instructions, as he said : ' I wish to 
teach you an important lesson.' 

" It was a low place in the lane, and the 
ground, though soft from recent rains, was 
not muddy. The moon was shining, and with 
no other light, for awhile we made search ; but 
without success. We then procured candles, 
and after searching some time, Mr. William 
Stuart and Capt. Jas. E. Daniel, who lived near 
the place, came and joined in the search. Mr. 
Sanders remained near us, (but did not come 
on the designated plot,) until the parties last 
named joined the search, when he returned 



174 x -f- v - z; 

home. Our search was very diligent, and as 
we then thought, quite thorough, until about 
half past eleven o'clock, when all but Esquire 
Stewart retired, to await the light of the ensuing 
morning. 

" "When Mr. Lawler and I got back to Mr. 
Sanders', we found him there with the ladies, 
whom he was entertaining with remarks about 
the movements we were making in our search. 
They said he laughed heartily, while speaking 
of ' that fat fellow crawling on his knees.' 
(Mr. Lawler was a fleshy man, and did, for some 
time, crawl on his knees.) Addressing Lawler 
and me, after our return, he expressed his regret 
that we did not find it. 

" He then described to us the coin, saying ; 
' One side is partially defaced, the other has 
what is recognized by this whole government 
as its sign. When you commenced the search 
the bright side was up. The soles of your 
boots have been on it three times, once it was 
struck with the toe of the boot and turned 
over. And last, it was touched with the very 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 175 

edge. of the sole, and is not lying flat, but slants 
ing;' (showing the slope with his hand,) ' In 
the morning you can find it, if you will continue 
the search. I will wait on you until eight 
o'clock to find it, and if you do not succeed, I 
will then get it myself.' He then repeatedly 
affirmed, in the most emphatic manner, that it 
was still there on the top of the ground. 

" Before he retired for the night, which was 
about a quarter past twelve o'clock, he made 
other remarkable communications about things 
that may yet be developed. During all this 
time, until he retired, he was in his state of 
sleep. 

" April 4th. The sun rose bright, and with 
its early rays, I was again on the ground to 
renew the search. In a few minutes Captain 
Daniel, accompanied by Mr. Tipton, arrived. 
Without delay we started to pass over the before- 
defined limits; and having proceeded about 
half the space, Captain Daniel said : ' Here it 
is.' I instantly said, ' don't touch it.' This I 
said that we all might have the opportunity of 



176 x + y = z; 

seeing it as it lay ; and note how far, if at all, 
the statements made the previous night by Mr. 
Sanders, were verified. 

" This circumstance I think was fortunate, 
for the satisfaction of the reader, as well as our- 
selves. For we found the coin lying just at 
the toe of a boot track, with the near edge 
partly pressed down by the sole, leaving it at 
an angle of about forty-five degrees, with its 
defaced side almost entirely exposed : and there 
were three tracks, clearly marked, on the spot 
where it lay. When it was removed we found 
the defacement was caused by solder, as it evi- 
dently had been converted into a breast-pin, the 
attachments having been broken off. On the 
bright side was the great American eagle. 
" G-. W. Mitchell." 

" We certify that all the above statements, 
connecting us with the search, the finding, and 
the description of said two and half dollar coin 
of gold, are true in every particular ; with the 
additional fact, that, when we arrived at the 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 177 

place of search that morning, Mr. Mitchell re- 
lated to us, before we commenced hunting, the 
statements Mr. Sanders made on the previous 
night, in reference to the coin having been 
tramped upon, turned over, the defaced side 
turned up, etc., as above recorded. 

" James E. Daniel. 

"B. S. Tipton." 
April 4th, 1876. 

" I certify, that all the foregoing statements 
in reference to the gold coin, in which I am 
represented as being present, and hearing, see- 
ing, and acting, are true. 

" B. F. Lawler." 
April 4th, 1876. 

" We certify that we went with Mr. Mitchell 
on the night of the 3d of April, 1876, to Mr. 
Sanders', and remained there until he retired 
to his room just after midnight, and witnessed 
all he said and did while he was in the house, 
as above stated, both before he left in company 
with Mr. Lawler and Mr. Mitchell, and after he 
8* 



178 x + y = z ; 

returned, and that all that is related above, as 

having occurred in his house, after we got there, 

until he retired, is entirely correct. 

"Mrs. M. A. Lawler. 

"Miss M. L. Daniel. 
April 4th, 1876. 

" Mooresville, Ala., July 28th, 1876. 

"On Sabbath night, the 23d of January, 
1876, Dr. Sanders having preached, returned 
to my house to lodge. 

" And while we were engaged in a social 
conversation at our fireside, there being present 
Mr. Wm. S. White, his wife and Kev. G. W. 
Mitchell, Mr. Sanders was in a nervous sleep. 
He had been engaged for some time in writ- 
ing, when suddenly he stopped and said that 
Mrs. Smith, wife of Kev. II. E. Smith, had 
met with a serious misfortune, and was badly 
burned ; that she was carrying a vessel of hot 
water, stumbled and fell, and scalded her arm. 

" When asked where she was, said : ' At 
Montgomery Switch, Washington County, 
Virginia.' " W. T. Thach." 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 179 

" We certify that the above statement by 
Dr. Thach is true in every particular. 

"¥m. S. White. 
" G. W. Mitchell." 

" Presbyterian Manse, Montgomery, 
Washington Co., Va., August 9th, 1876. 

" The statement made by Rev. C. B. San- 
ders to Dr. Thach in regard to the accident 
mentioned is strictly true. 

" Late in the afternoon of Sunday, the six- 
teenth day of January last, when passing 
through a room adjoining our dining-room, 
carrying a vessel of boiling- hot water, my wife 
tripped upon the carpet, stumbled and fell to 
the floor, severely scalding her arm. So severe 
was the burn that she was for six weeks unable 
to use that arm. During that interval, before 
her recovery from the effects of the burn, I re- 
ceived a letter from Rev. G. W. Mitchell, men- 
tioning the statement Dr. Sanders had made, at 
the house of Dr. Thach, concerning the accident, 
and inquiring after Mrs. Smith's condition. 

u There had been no communication between 



180 x + y = z; 

Dr. Sanders and my family in the meantime by 
which he could possibly have been informed of 
the occurrence. Neither is there any reason 
to suppose that he received information con- 
cerning it from any other person. There is 
not to my knowledge an acquaintance of his, 
nor a person who had at that time any knowl- 
edge, connection, or correspondence with any 
one in all his region of country. 

" H. E. Smith." 

" We attest the correctness of the above 
statement in every particular. 

" Mrs. H. E. Smith. 
"Miss Lillias P. Smith. 
"Miss Eliza B. Smith. 
"Mr. A. M. Smith." 

HE REPORTS DR. ROSS' SERMON. 

"In the spring of 1874, Dr. Sanders was 
spending a few days in my family at Hunts- 
ville, Ala. A protracted meeting was at the 
time in progress in the Cumberland Presbyte- 
rian Church, of which Dr. G. T. Stainback was 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 181 

pastor in charge. Ministers of different denomi- 
nations were preaching by turns. Dr. Sanders 
had frequently expressed a desire to hear Dr. 
F. A. Ross, then pastor of the Presbyterian 
church in BL, who was expected to preach again 
during that week. 

" Anticipating the approach of one of those 
peculiar abnormal spells, or nervous sleeps, to 
which he had been for many years subject, 
Brother Sanders left my house on Tuesday 
for home. On Wednesday night during the 
absence of Brother Sanders, Dr. Ross did 
preach from these words, i Come now and let 
us reason together saith the Lord. Isa. 1st: 
18th.' On the following day (Thursday,) Dr. 
Sanders returned to my house refreshed and 
strengthened b} r rest. Entering the house, I 
expressed to him my regret at his absence from 
the meeting the night preceding, inasmuch as 
Dr. Ross had preached. l 0/ Dr. Sanders at 
once replied, i I have that sermon, I enjoyed 
it all. 1 

" Then you have seen Dr. Stainback on 



182 x + y = z; 

your way from the cars. He has given it to yon.' 
'No,' he replied, 'I came directly from the train.' 

" ' Well,' said I, ' Give me the subject and 
thought of the sermon.' 

" The sermon was peculiar ; particularly the 
introductory part. It was an appeal (1st) to 
the young men in regard to visiting liquor 
saloons on the Sabbath day, — to desist from 
this practice. (2d) To saloon keepers. (3d) To 
the Aldermen of the city. (4th) To the Mayor 
to enforce the law upon this subject. 

"When we were seated Dr. Sanders pro- 
ceeded to give me Dr. Ross' full name, which 
he had not known until upon reading his report 
of the sermon, which he had himself prefaced 
with the name written in full. 

" He then gave me, in their proper order, the 
text — subject— divisions — and leading thoughts 
of the entire sermon, precisely as I had heard 
them on the night before. They were promptly 
given, without hesitation or mistake, every in- 
terrogatory as propounded to the several par-. 
ties by the preacher 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 1S3 

" The night before, in his condition of ner- 
vous sleep, he called for pen, ink and paper, ■ 
and seated at the table, seemed intent upon his 
writing for more than an hour. It was about 
the hour, when in progress of the services the 
sermon was delivered. Next morning when 
informed by his wife of his absorbing interest 
in something he had written during his sleep, 
upon his referring to the paper, carefully laid 
away when finished, there was the sermon 
preached by Dr. Ross at Huntsville, twelve 
miles away. 

" It was impossible that Dr. Sanders should 
have been informed of it by any one. It was 
preached at night while he slept. He left home 
next morning and came directly to my house 
and gave me all the substance of the sermon. 

" There is no room for doubt in respect to 
incidents of this character, of which many more 
might be given. Such is the reputation Dr. 
Sanders has ever sustained, among all who have 
known him, for strict veracity, and for unswerv- 
ing firmness and integrity : as an uncomprom- 



184 x + y = z; 

ising enemy to all forms of evil, and a firm 
friend to all good : — not one who knows him 
can entertain a doubt of the entire truthfulness 
of his statements, however strange and inex- 
plicable they may appear. All would bear 
cheerful testimony to his fidelity in every rela- 
tion, and to the purity of his character, as a 
christian and a minister of the gospel. 

" It has been my privilege to enjoy an ac- 
quaintance of several years with Dr. Sanders. 
I have often mingled with him in the inter- 
courses of social life ; have been with him 
around his own fireside and family altar, and 
in the homes of his people ; have shared with 
him the labors and the rewards of the ministry. 
"We have rejoiced together over souls converted 
through his instrumentality and in answer to 
his importunate prayers. And I can truly say, 
no brother has ever more entirely won my 
confidence and affection. No one to-day is held 
in more dear esteem. For me to doubt his 
sincerity and truthfulness would be to give up 
all my confidence in man, and all faith in the 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 185 

influence of Divine grace upon the hearts and 

lives of men. 

" H. K. Smith." 

Presbyterian Manse, Montgomery, 
Washington Co., Va., 9th August, 1876. 

DR. ROSS' STATEMENT CORROBORATING REV. H 
R. SMITH 

" Huntsville, Ala., August 17th, 1876. 
" Rev. G. W. Mitchell, Athens, Ala. — 
Dear Sir : — I had frequently heard, through 
Eev. M. B. DeWitt of the Cumberland Presby- 
terian Church, singular facts touching the state 
of mind into which the Rev. C. B. Sanders 
goes from time to time. I knew Mr. Sanders 
slightly ; but never spoke to him of these 
states, inasmuch as he dislikes introducing 
the subject, save to special friends. But as I 
told you recently, he informed a friend of mine 
(Rev. Henry R. Smith, now residing not far 
from Bristol, Tenn.,) that on a certain night, 
when I made a temperance address, in the 
Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Huntsville, 



186 x + y = z ; 

Ala., lie (Sanders) being at home, and in one 
of his strange conditions, did in that state write 
the text and the train of thought in that address, 
which he made known to Mr, Smith, who was 
present, and heard my remarks, and vouched 
for the correctness of Sanders' rendering. 

" I should, under any circumstances, have 
highly regarded a communication from Brother 
Smith ; but this had the more weight, because 
(not more remarkable than things of the same 
sort related by Rev. Mr. DcWitt) from his 
own personal knowledge. 

"I have only to add that I never attended 
a spiritual revelation of any kind ; and never 
will be present at such exhibition. 

" I give you this fact as given to me by my 
friend, Mr. Smith ; and this allusion to what 
my friend Mr. DeWitt has related. 

" To a certain extent, along this road of the 
^seemingly supernatural, there may be explana- 
tion — but beyond that extent there are influ- 
ences which bring the whole subject under the 
forbiddings of the Bible. I think however, Mr. 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 187 

Sanders' case is free from any imposture. From 
all I have heard of him, I esteem him a Chris- 
tian gentleman. I remain in the gospel, 
" Yours truly, 

"F. A. Koss." 

Rev. F. A. Ross, D. D., is a minister of the 

Presbyterian Church, of national reputation as 

an author and theologian. 

Author. 

reflections by rev h. r. smith on "x+y = z." 

"Montgomery, Va. August 11th, 1876. 

" Dear Brother Mitchell: — I mailed to your 
address on the 9th inst. statements as requested. 
Hope they will reach you in time and prove 
satisfactory. Do not think my expressions of 
confidence in and affection for Brother Sanders 
too strong. / feel it all, and even more. We 
shall ever cherish most tender and pleasing re- 
membrance of him. 

" When reflecting as I have often done 
upon these strange and mysterious phenomena, 
which seem to give us a glimpse of the hidden 



188 x + y = z; 

or reserved power of the human mind, I am 
impressed with a sense of its almost infinite 
capacities. In the light of these wonderful 
developments, who of us can estimate, or even 
conceive of the soul's capacity for expansion 
and advancement in the future ? Without a sin- 
gle faculty added ; with these hidden powers 
of which a transient vision is thus occasionally 
given us, what results may not be attained in 
another life % What developments and eleva- 
tion when the mere native powers of the soul 
shall no longer be constrained by the infirmi- 
ties of the body % 

" We can see that the tendency of these now 
is to expand and ascend above all limits, and 
they point to realms and heights yet unattained. 
Cases like this, abnormal, we may call them, 
suggest an unrevealed power of mind perfectly 
amazing, — yet pleasing to contemplate. Here 
the mind, by an exertion of its own power, 
supersedes the action of the body in which it is 
tabernacled and acts. It seems to be intensely 
stimulated beyond what is ordinary and natural. 



THE SLEEPING PREACIIER. 189 

" Is it by a power developed in itself, or by 
some force from above descending upon it ? 
Who can tell ? What can we know ? 

" Truly we may say of this, as of all other 
works and ways of God ; ' How small a por- 
tion do we know ? ' 

" We can only wonder and adore, believing 
He who constituted the human soul, made it 
for indefinite expansion and development, when 
freed from the restraints of matter, made it for 
happiness and for glory ; a perpetual witness 
for himself — to his goodness and power. 

" Fraternally in the best of bonds, 

"H. K. Smith." 

It will be remembered that all the writ- 
ten productions of Dr. Sanders, in his pecu- 
liar mental states, are signed, never " C. B. 
Sanders," but always and in every instance, 
"X+r=Z." And though he has written 
many communications to Rev. G. B. Sanders, 
in no instance has he so addressed him, but 
invariablv the address is " To my Casket." 



190 x + y = z ; 

In all such communications he addresses 
him as a companion and friend, in whom he has 
the deepest interest, and for whom he has the 
warmest and most constant affection : and al- 
ways advises, directs, instructs, encourages, and 
comforts him in the most unhesitating and con- 
fident manner : as if f ully assured of the pro- 
priety and truth of all he imparts to him. 

Among the many communications of this 
character, and perhaps the most remarkable of 
all, I furnish the two following : the first of 
which X + Y=Z, and the last Dr. Sanders, at 
my request, furnished me for these pages. 

The first was shown me by Dr. Sanders, 
first on the morning of the 24th February, on 
the seventh day after it bears date. In a few 
days after this I was present when he handed 
it to Dr. Thach to read. Also I was present 
during the first week in March, 1876, when he 
handed it to Kev. G. T. Stainback, D.D., pastor 
of the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church 
of Memphis, while we were crossing the Mis- 
sissippi River, on the steam ferry boat. Also 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 191 

when Rev. M. B. DeWitt of Nashville read it 
about the last of the next month (April) at 
his own residence. 

X + Y = Z, TO HIS CASKET CONCERNING HIS DE- 
PARTURE. 

" Seventeenth day, 2d month, 19th century, 
A. L. 5876, A. D. 1876, 1 P. M. 

" To my Casket this message comes greet- 
ing. Having so often of late witnessed your 
groaning with such earnestness to be freed from 
what seems to you a burden, not that you 
would be unclothed but clothed upon, these 
words I now write unto thee in the Lord Jesus. 

" I charge thee, therefore, before God and 
the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the 
quick and the dead at his appearing and his 
kingdom, Preach the word; be instant in 
season, out of season ; reprove, rebuke, exhort 
with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the 
time will come when they will not endure 
sound doctrine ; but after their own lusts shall 
they heap to themselves teachers, having itch- 



192 x + y = z; 

ing ears, and they turn away their ears from 
the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 
But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, 
do the work of an evangelist, make full proof 
of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be 
offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 
2 Tim. iv., 1-6. 

" Till I come, give attendance to reading, 
to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the 
gift that is in thee, which was given thee by 
prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of 
the presbytery. Meditate upon these things ; 
give thyself wholly to them ; that thy profiting 
may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, 
and unto the doctrine ; continue in them : for 
in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and 
them that hear thee. 1st Tim. iv; 13-16. 

" I beseech you the rather to do this, that 1 
may he restored to you the sooner P 

" Now the God of peace, that brought again 
from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that 
great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood 
of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 193 

in every good work to do his will, working in 
you that which is well pleasing in his sight, 
through Jesus Christ ; to whom be glory for- 
ever and ever. Amen. 

"X+Y=Z." 

" In token of your willingness, and obedi- 
ence to all the above scriptural and spiritual 
requirements, you will place your own name to 
this, witnessed by your wife, Dr. Thach, and 
Rev. G. W. Mitchell, who will covenant to 
pray with, and for you, that success may be 
given you of the Lord ; and that temporal and 
spiritual support be given you in this great 

work. 

"X+Y=Z." 

" Casket Name. C, B. Sanders. 

" Witness Name. Mrs. C. B. Sanders. 

"Witness Name. W. T. Thach, M. D. 

" Witness Name. G. W. Mitchell." 

" And the rest will I set in order when 1 

come. 

X + Y=Z." 



194 x + y = z ; 



X + Y = Z'S VALEDICTORY TO HIS 
CASKET. 



'CONCLUSION. 



"After twenty -two years of labor and suf- 
fering in and through the person of ray Casket, 
and for many years of that time both a mystery 
and reproach to others, I now come to the end 
of my first engagement; and will here leave 
off, in part, the work until my second and last 
coming, at which time I will reappear to finish 
up the great work for which I was intended 
(D.V.). 

" My Casket, I now come to address you, 
personally, before I depart. You have been to 
me greatly a submissive servant, in suffering, 
in contempt, in wonder, in reproach, by night 
and by day, from year to year past. You can 
never fully see all you have passed in this life 
until you see the life to come, when then you 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 195 

stand ready to fall back to dust, whence you 
came ; and I leave you forever. I have given 
you many valuable lessons, and prevented you 
from many difficulties and sorrows. I have 
shown you many friends, and many foes ; 
what their strength and how to treat them. 
Together we have dwelt in peace and safety ; 
but at your request, I leave you for a time. 
Till I come your head will remain the seat of 
great pain ; and at times to you almost unbear- 
able. But be humble, and also patient. And 
amid the sympathy of friends, may God help 
you to be submissive. 

" Your entire body will be, of necessity, 
the dwelling place of powerful electric force', 
but this will help to keep you up, and make 
you useful in many ways to others. 

" My books and papers I leave in your 
charge : but these you are, on no account, to 
exhibit till 1 come. In this be faithful. Give 
caimest heed. 

" Examine the sick of body, and by refer- 
ence to my books, give relief when you can. 



196 x + y = z ; 

" Examine the sick of soul, and, by aid of 
the truth, give relief to them if possible. 



" You will often and sadly miss me, when 
I am gone, but you cannot realize it now. 

" My former ' charge ' I leave with you ; 
and would say ; Fill up the measure thereof 
that I may return to you the sooner. 

" With Heaven's benediction I will now 

bid you adieu. 

"X+Y=Z." 

"5th day, 5th mo. A. D. 1876, 4 o'clock 8 min. a. m." 

Various opinions have been entertained and 
expressed in regard to these wonderful develop- 
ments in the history of Mr. Sanders ; some 
regarding them all as humbuggery; some, as 
real, but the result of animal magnetism or 
mesmerism ; some, that of somnambulism, or 
clairvoyance ; and others the manifestations of 
spiritualism, or rather spiritism. Some of 
the latter class have said that Mr. Sanders 
would be a first rate medium, if he would 



THE SLEEPING PREACHER. 197 

suffer himself to be developed. And some of 
them, as we have learned, have solicited him 
to consent to do so, and have manifested cha- 
grin, because he has always utterly refused to 
give any countenance whatever to the preten- 
sions of these " mediums." 

Others have looked at the case in a scien- 
tific way, and have concluded that his physical 
sufferings were the immediate and sole cause 
of his mental phenomena; and if he were 
relieved of the former, the latter would entirely 
disappear. In this view of the subject, some 
physicians did diagnose the case and treat it 
until convinced of their mistake by the result. 

It will, no doubt, be a matter of interest to 
all to know whether X + Y=Z has himself 
given any deliverances on these various opin- 
ions ; and in regard to the true solution of the 
whole case. Fortunately I have been furnished, 
since I commenced this work, the following 
extract from some of his dissertations. 

u My peculiar developments will not be ex- 



198 x 4- y - z ; 

plained from a scientific stand-point, at least so 
long as it is assumed that my physical suffer- 
ings are the cause of my mental phenomena. 
The solution may be sought successfully, only 
from a theological and scriptural stand-point. 
I am no spiritist nor clairvoyant ; neither am 
I the subject of mesmerism or animal-magnet- 
ism. But I am a ' vessel of mercy ' whom the 
Lord hath chosen to this end. And I will in 
after days explain the difference between these 

terms and the office I fill, 

"X + Y=Z." 

Alluding to Paul's " visions and revelations 
of the Lord," in which " he was caught up to 
the third heaven, . . - . into Paradise, and 
heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful 
for a man to utter," he has expressed himself, 
that from the nature of the case, it was impos- 
sible for him to give such explanation to men 
in the flesh, in a normal condition, that they 
could comprehend, so as to understand the true 
nature of his phenomena. The flesh in its nor- 
mal state so clouds the intellect, obstructs the 



THE SLEEPING TREACHER. 199 

powers of the spirit and obscures its vision, that 
it ever will fail (until the earthly tabernacle is 
so modified or put aside as to enable it,) to 
comprehend or grasp the full idea of his ex- 
periences. 

"With regard to the abnormal exercises of 
his mental powers in seeing, -etc., he has said ; 
if you could see it, it may be imperfectly at 
least illustrated by the magnetic telegraph. 
Suppose arrangements are completed to trans- 
mit a message on this line extending fifty 
miles, when the operator manipulates his keys 
the message almost instantly is correctly recog- 
nized at the receiving office. Extend the line 
five hundred or five thousand miles, and the 
result is still the same ; — so he says, his spirit 
does not leave the body and actually go to dis- 
tant localities to get its cognitions pertaining 
to said localities ; but extends its scope of vision 
etc., and its cognitions are as certain as when 
it takes notice of things at hand. 

Again, alluding to a fact of frequent occur- 
rence, in the dying moments of some Christians; 



200 x + y = z ; 

that is their saying they see things, (spirits ot 
departed friends, angels, etc.) invisible, and 
hear sounds (songs and messages) inaudible to 
loved ones who attend the scene ; he says that 
their statements are literally true ; they do see, 
and do hear all that they affirm. And that 
this takes place when the body or its organs of 
sense are so modified by approaching or incep- 
tive dissolution, as to remove the obstruction 
they naturally interpose to the spirit's cog- 
nitions of the supernatural. That when he is 
the subject of these phenomena, " his casket " 
is similarly affected. The veil is so withdrawn 
that, at its will, in submission to the Lord, his 
spirit exercises its powers in what is called a 
" preternatural way.'' Again that his vision is 
always, in this state, in direct lines, and in every 
direction, like the rays of light emanating from 
the sun. That his head is, as it were, full of 
windows, so that he can see objects in any 
direction without changing the position of his 
head ; yet he sees with more facility through 
his natural organs of sight. And as hundreds 



THE SLEEPING PKEACHEE. 201 

of persons have seen him, when talking, reading 
or writing, all at once turn, and with fixed gaze 
look in another direction, — often right behind 
him, — and tell what arrested his attention, — 
speaking of some distant, or at least unseen, 
object by all but himself. 

X + Y=Z announced that he took his leave 
of his " Casket " on the fifth of May, 1876, 
and that after a lapse of time, not definitely 
stated, (at least it has not been communicated 
to me,) he will return again to finish his work. 
Since that particular time, until this present, 
September 11th, a period of more than four 
months, Mr. Sanders has not, as he or any one 
else knows, been the subject of one of his pecu- 
liar sleeps, even in the slightest degree. As 
he was notified in that valedictory, he has had 
some paroxysms of severe suffering in his head, 
attended with some trouble in- his chest : but 
aside from this, he is as other healthy men in 
body and mind. For a time after the change 
took place, he was evidently greatly impressed 
with his new condition. Much of his time 
9* 



202 x + y = z ; 

he was absorbed apparently in deep and serious 
thought — seemed lonely^if not sometimes 
melancholy. But after a time, he reacted and 
became quite cheerful ; and since, says he en- 
joys himself, in this new condition, very much. 
His general health is excellent, his appetite uni- 
formly good, he sleeps soundly (when not ner- 
vously excited from labor) and as much as others. 
On one occasion recently upon awaking, he was 
conscious of having dreamed ; the only instance 
for more than twenty- two years, even from the 
incipiency of his peculiar spells. He is devot- 
ing his time exclusively to his labors in the 
ministry. 

I now close this volume. I sincerely pray 
that God may bless its mission in the world. 
That its facts may be properly examined, and 
that they may lead to just conclusions. Then 
the world will be benefited, and God glorified. 
The Author. 
Athens, Ala., Sept. 11th, 1876. 



